Power Play!
by LeastStealthyBrah
Summary: A/U. Mahora Academy is known for its amazing hockey team. A new player is needed, a mysterious new student joins class 6-A, and Konoka gets a hopeful and promising fortune... What is to become of Mahora's pride and joy?
1. Are We Playing For The Same Team?

**Are We Playing For The Same Team...?**

It was an ice cold, early morning at the Mahora Academy Superplex as the high school hockey team stepped out onto the ice for their first tryout of the upcoming season. The Mahora Warriors girl's hockey team was the pride of the school; with the most recorded wins in school history and the most high profile titles won in all of Japan. Last year, the team had suffered a heart breaking lose in the final championship game of the season against a tough team from the Kansai Region. This year, the senior girls were out for blood and looking for revenge.

From the far side of the ice, Coach Takahata was watching as the girls ran through a passing a drill. He was being sure to pay extra attention to the players trying out for the defensive positions as there was only one that needed to be filled. After weeding out the ones who couldn't keep up with the fast paced style of skating as well as the ones who could barely handle a puck properly, Takahata was coming to a slow realization that there really wasn't much for him to choose from this year. Sighing, he blew his whistle and signalled for the girls to take a few fast laps before heading over to him to explain the next drill. After receiving their instructions, the girls split up to form a one on one drill. It wasn't long before Coach Takahata was joined by his assistant coach, Negi Springfield.

"So what do you think Takamichi..." sighed Negi as she watched some of the senior girls flow through the drill flawlessly. "See anyone you like? Anyone at all catch your eye for that one defensive spot?"

Takahata removed his right glove and scratched at his scruffy chin. "Honestly Negi, I'm really not seeing any of the new girls that meet the requirements I'm looking for..."

Negi laughed a little as he scrapped one of his skates along the ice, building up a small pile of snow along the inside of his blade. "Aww come on now Takamichi... you mean to tell me out of the ten new girls trying out, not one fits that one spots requirements?" He looked back up and watched a frown spread across the older teacher and coach's face. "I think you're just being too picky..."

It was now Takamichi's turn to laugh. "I'm not being picky Negi, you're just too young and inexperienced to understand team chemistry..." He reached over and pulled the young kid's helmet down over his eyes. "Hell, you're only 14...genius teacher or not, you still got a lot to learn about the game. At least you seemed to master skating over the last few years..."

Negi rolled his eyes as the girls moved into a two on one drill. "Well, could you at least explain to me what almighty powers this new girl needs to have in order to meet the team's needs?"

"Well, she needs all the basics...that's for sure. A nice hard shot, a good mind for the game, great positioning...all that." began Takamichi. "However, I'm looking for that one girl who can bring some balance to Asuna Kagurazaka's forward line. I mean, Asuna is an amazing player...but damn it is she stubborn and tries to show off too much. Look what happened in that final game last year..."

It was true that the team's strongest center forward and captain, Asuna Kagurazaka, was mostly at fault for the team's lose in the championship game. There was less than a minute left in the third and final period of the game and Mahora was up by a goal. All they needed to do was keep the puck in their possession and run the clock down. The two Mahora defensemen where passing the puck back in forth behind their own net, avoiding the Kansai region's team's forwards. Asuna skated back behind the net and grabbed the puck, much to her team mate's surprise and began to speed off down to the other end of the ice. Everyone followed after her and the other team started to close in. Asuna managed to get herself around the first opposing defenseman, and feeling slightly cocky with herself, attempted to trick her way around the second. Before she even realised what was happening, the girl in front of her stole the puck from her while she was in mid-trick and passed it off to one of her own forwards waiting at Mahora's blue line. From there, the girl took the puck and went in for a last minute goal, tying them up and leading to sudden death overtime, where Mahora eventually lost.

"I need someone who will pick up where Asuna lacks strength..." sighed Takamichi. "It also wouldn't hurt to have someone good and strong to protect our goalie down there...teams have been getting rough on the goalies over the last few years..."

"Yeah that's true..." nodded Negi. "I'm surprised Konoka hasn't ended up with more injuries...especially since she's the top ranked goaltender in the league. You'd think she'd be head hunted constantly..."

"It's just another thing we need to look out for this year Negi..." replied Takamichi as he reached for his whistle. "You mind explaining the next drill?"

Negi nodded with excitement as Coach Takahata blew the whistle and signalled for the girls to once again do a lap then come in for another drill. He watched on from the side, still thinking about the situation his team was in and their desperate need for another leader. There had to be someone out there who would get the job done, maybe it was one of these new younger girls... he shook his head at that last thought. Unless someone stepped up soon, he feared a repeat of last season. Takamichi skated off towards a lone puck to play with while Negi finished up explaining his drill to the girls.

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"Hurry it up Asuna or we're gonna be late for our first day of classes!" yelled Konoka over her shoulder. "Seriously, pick it up!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming...geeze Konoka...I thought you goalies were supposed to be a weird and easy going bunch!" replied Asuna as she picked up her pace.

Konoka smiled at her best friend and roommate as the later caught up to her. "You know, normally I wouldn't care...but today just seems a liiiiiiiiiiiitle more important than usual...I got this feeling..."

Asuna rolled her eyes as they rounded a corner. "Oh gods, here we go with the feelings...you weren't up late last night playing with those weird fortune card thingies again were you?" She watched as her friend shook her head but didn't believe her for a second.

After they had finished tryouts that morning, Asuna, Konoka and the other veteran players on the team decided to take their time changing and showering. They were all waiting for the new girls to finish and head out so that they could discuss what they thought about them. The girls that were left behind were a very close, tight nit group who have been in the same class together since their first year of junior high. They had wicked chemistry and seemed to feed off of each other's good and bad points; the perfect team. It was because of this amazing chemistry that any new girl trying out for the team seemed to perform below par because they were scared off. It didn't seem to faze the team though; you had to be worthy to hit the ice with them. When all was said and done, the girls had come to the conclusion that they hadn't seen anyone who fit the spot they were looking to fill. Apparently, they too were suffering the same doomed fate Coach Takahata was.

Konoka just hit the bottom of the school's front steps when she tripped and the books she was carrying in her arms went flying out in front of her. She cursed out loud as Asuna quickly bent down to help. "No, don't worry about it Asuna...you go on ahead. I'm pretty sure Negi will be pissed if you're late on the first day. I'll catch up in a minute."

"Alright...but hurry it up." called Asuna from over her shoulder.

Konoka kneeled down beside one of her books with a sigh, and began to pick them up. She was tired from the early ice time and was beginning to regret staying up late to read her tarot cards. The goaltender was very superstitious; therefore making fortune telling, in all of its forms, her hobby. She wasn't even planning on being up as late as she did until she flipped over a card telling her that someone or something new would be coming into her life. This seemed to peak her interest, and she began to shuffle and select a few more. By the end of her drawings, she had pieced together that her life was about to become more complicated, yet exciting when this new "whatever it was" came to be. Even when she lay down in her bunk at 3:00am, she couldn't seem to get the images out of her head of what she thought it could be. Konoka was still kneeling on the ground when she realized that she was missing her English book. She was about to get up to search for it, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey...I think I got what you're looking for..."

Konoka stood up and turned around, brushing off her knees as she did. She looked up and was startled by the girl holding out her text book in front of her. Konoka had never seen her before, though they looked to be relatively the same age. The girl was slightly shorter than she was, but not by much and was slim but looked to have a very athletically toned build. What caught Konoka's immediate attention was the girl's raven black hair that was up in a side pony. She had never seen anyone else wear their hair this way...and thought it made the girl look rather attractive.

Slightly blushing, Konoka reached out her hand and gently took the book from the new girl. "Uh...thanks. I would have been shot if I lost it..."

The new girl gave a cool smile as she scratched the back of her head. "It's no problem...anyway I gotta get going...see you around..."

Konoka watched as the mysterious girl swiftly made her way up the steps and off into the school. She couldn't help but keep thinking about the girl as she made her way to her own classroom. It was well known, at least within her classroom and especially among her team mates that Konoka Konoe was into girls; hell, at least half of her team was. She was quite popular when it came to the ladies; what with her flawless looks, curvy body and being the top ranked goaltender in the entire Japanese high school hockey association. Konoka would have no problem getting someone to hook up with, she had done it before. When she thought about this new girl however; she somehow felt different. There was something pulling her towards this person...

_Could she possibly be this "new thing" my cards were talking about?...There's no way right? I probably won't even see her again...Damn she's hot though, I wonder if she's gay... _

Konoka was still thinking about her run in when she finally came to a rest in her seat next to Asuna. Her red haired friend looked at her with questioning eyes as she motioned towards the clock on the wall. Konoka looked up and noticed that she had cut it extremely close, leaving less than a minute before class began. She wasn't too concerned though, since their young teacher wasn't even here yet. The rest of the class around her was completely buzzing with excitement as everyone was talking with one another about their break. No one even noticed ten minutes later when Negi entered the room and called for their attention. The young teacher shook his head and laughed, thinking that he was in for another year of unique antics that only class 6-A was capable of.

"Hello girls, could we all calm down for a moment please..." he tried again, this time the room seemed to lower its voices.

"Oi Coach Springfield, did you manage to get taller over break?" yelled Yuna, a forward and line mate to Asuna.

"Hey, I think I even see a few bits of facial hair coming in..." chimed in another forward from the team, Kazumi.

"If I'm not mistaken...I think our little boy coach is becoming a little man!" laughed a defenseman named Makie.

Negi face palmed and hid a blush as the rest of the class giggled along. He was right; it was going to be another long year. "Aw come on girls...can't I just have one year where we forget that I'm younger than you and remember that I'm your teacher?" He watched as the class playfully shook their heads no. "...of course...Anyway, I would like to apologize for being late. I had a few last minute things to attend to, one of which I'd like to share with you now."

"Ooo what is Negi?" asked the class rep Ayaka Yukihiro. "You always have the best surprises for us."

Negi slowly began to walk back over to the door. "Well, it seems that we have a new student joining our class today... I'd like you all to give her a good welcome...and please, please don't pull anything to scare her off..."

When Negi opened the door, Konoka's eyes went wide and she shifted forward in her seat. Standing at the front of the classroom with a dark yet cool expression on her face, was the mysterious girl who had helped her earlier. She was being sure to listen intently as the girl began to speak.

"Hey...my name is Setsuna Sakurazaki. I just transferred to Mahora from my old school in the Kansai Region..." she took a small bow to the class. "I'm looking forward to joining your class..."

Konoka continued to stare as the rest of the class greeted their new classmate. Suddenly she felt a nudge from beside her. "What do you want Asuna?..."

"Buddy, what are you staring at...blink already it's freaking me out..." she replied in a whisper.

Konoka looked over to her friend quickly with a questioning expression on her face. "Hey Asuna...do you think she's gay? She's totally gay right?"

Asuna rolled her eyes; of course she should have known this was what Konoka was thinking so hard about. "Damn it Konoka... not every girl that catches your eye plays for the same team we do..."

Konoka just blinked at Asuna before returning her attention to Setsuna, who was now grabbing her bag off of the floor. "I have a feeling she's gay..."

Little did Konoka know that everything she seemed to be quietly whispering to Asuna was reaching the sharp and sensitive ears of the girl at the front of the room. Setsuna smirked to herself as she threw her bag over her shoulder and began to make her way to the seat Negi had pointed out to her. This wasn't the first time her sexuality was called into question, and she knew that it wouldn't be the last. She had to admit, the girl she helped with the book earlier was very attractive. She definitely wouldn't mind getting to know her a little better. Setsuna slowly made her to her seat and sat down, and feeling pretty confident with herself, she turned her head to take a look at Konoka. When she caught the girl's eye, Setsuna gave her a wink followed by a small salute before turning her attention back to the front of the class.

Asuna watched the whole interaction take place. "...Did...did she hear what we were talking about?"

Konoka was blushing at this point as she started to fidget with a pencil in her hand. "I...I think she did..."

"Well, I guess we have our answer." sighed Asuna. "Chalk up another point for your feelings..."

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Negi leaned back in his seat and stretched out after finishing going over his lesson plan for the next day. The young teacher had decided to skip out on dinner in order to make sure everything was organized and prepared, just the way he liked it. He looked outside and noticed that the sun was beginning to set and that he should probably make his way back to his room in the teacher's quarters. Slowly, he got up and began to gather all of his things while humming to himself. Just as he was getting to his favourite part of the song, he was interrupted by a loud banging noise coming from the ally way outside below his window. He shrugged it off, thinking that the wind knocked a lid off of a garbage can and continued to gather his things. Again, at least four or five more times, the banging noise continued. Negi was getting annoyed at this point and decided that maybe he should check it out. He made his way over to the window, threw it open and stuck his head out. To his surprise, he saw one of his students.

"Excuse me... Setsuna was it?" he yelled from a floor up from where Setsuna stood. She looked up, slightly startled, and nodded. "Could I possibly ask what it is that you're doing out here?"

Setsuna smiled and scratched the back of her head. "Sorry uh...sir...I didn't think anyone was around at this time of night so I figured I'd come and practice my slap shot..."

Negi blinked in surprise for a moment before responding. "Slap shot?...could you wait there for just a moment?" Setsuna nodded again and went to retrieve her puck from a few feet away.

Negi grabbed his things as fast as he could before he ran out the door, slamming it shut behind him. There was only one position on a hockey team that made the best use of a perfect slap shot, and that was defence. As soon as he heard Setsuna say that's what she was working on, Negi had a feeling like this was the girl they were looking for. Of course, he could be completely wrong; for all he knew Setsuna couldn't even skate or wasn't even that good of a player. Something inside his head had told him though that he should go and investigate. He was slightly out of breath as he burst through the front doors and rounded the corner to the ally way. Standing there waiting for him, was Setsuna with her stick still in hand.

Negi ran up beside her and clapped her on the shoulder. "Could you possibly show me your shot?"

Setsuna smirked and moved beside the puck. "No problem."

The raven haired girl proceeded to roll her wrists as she expertly handled the puck. Next thing Negi saw was Setsuna swiftly bring her stick back, just barely pausing, before swinging forward and making full contact with the rounded black rubber on the ground. In the blink of an eye, the puck flew from the ground and sailed through the air at waist level before making a loud crashing contact with a dumpster. Negi just stood there, looking stunned at the perfect shot he just witnessed. Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the girl leaning on her stick casually next to him.

"Setsuna...how long have you been playing hockey?" he asked, glancing back to the dumpster where the puck had made a dark black smudge.

"I've been playing since I was five years old." she replied while staring down at the ground. "I was captain and top scoring defenseman on my old high school team before I transferred out..."

Negi practically exploded from the excitement inside his head. Quickly calming himself down, he pressed on. "Have you considered trying out for our team? We're actually looking for a new defenseman..."

"I...I don't know Negi..." began Setsuna as she looked away. "I sort of...got kicked of my old team after an incident took place...I don't really know if I'm ready to get back on the ice." Her face became dark and Negi noticed that there was some pain behind her eyes.

"Listen Setsuna, I won't force you to join..." he said as he patted her on the shoulder. "All I'm asking is that maybe you come to tryouts tomorrow morning, get a feel for it...and see where it goes from there?"

Setsuna turned away from him and went to retrieve her puck again. She really had been dying to get back out on the ice, but ever since the incident that had went down last season with her own team...she was hesitant. She was still thinking it over when she found her puck and made her way back to the patiently waiting young teacher.

_Maybe I should give it a try... no one has to know what happened and I really do miss flying along the ice..._

Setsuna sighed as she passed by her young teacher. "Alright, I'll give it a try...what time should I be there tomorrow morning?"

Negi Smiled. "Practice starts at 6 am, I'd like you to come on the ice around 6:15...I need to track down Coach Takahata and let him know what's going on!"

With a final wave to Setsuna, Negi ran off in excitement to the teacher's quarters. Setsuna laughed to herself as she watched her teacher go; he really was just a kid. She was beginning to look forward to strapping on her gear and hitting the ice again. The raven haired girl continued to think about it as she wound up for another shot, a few more hours of practice would suffice before heading back to her dorm to sleep.


	2. Welcome To The Team?

**Wow, I'm excited to see that people have some interest in this story! I wasn't too sure if many people would be into the whole Hockey thing, but damn, thanks for the support! You make this Canadian happy, that's for sure.**

**This, as well as G2GA are the result of me not being able to sleep and being an history major... when I'm not out, I have a good amount of time on my hands.**

**Anyway, thanks for all your reviews, please keep them coming! I know that there is a little iffyness with the confidence Setsuna has right now, but trust me that it'll be explained lol.**

**Here's part 2!**

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**Welcome To The Team?...**

The next morning came quicker than expected, and Negi found himself yawing as he stepped onto the ice with his older counterpart. The two were the first ones on, always early, and began a warm up skate while they waited for the girls to join them. After witnessing Setsuna practicing in the ally way yesterday, Negi ran as fast as he could to try and track down Takamichi to tell him the good news. At first, Coach Takahata was hesitant; maybe the girl could play, but she still might not have what it takes to balance out the team. Negi was sure to emphasize the point that the raven haired girl had been the captain of her old team for a number of years, leaving out the fact that she had been kicked off of it. After a few more attempts of persuasion, Takamichi gave in to Negi's request to intently watch the new girl the next day at tryouts.

"I hope this girl is as good as you say she is..." sighed Takamichi as he stretched out his legs.

Negi rolled his eyes as he stretched his back. "Have a little faith in my judgement Takamichi...I may be young, but I know what I'm talking about..."

Soon, the two coaches were joined by the rest of the girls as they slowly began to make their way onto the ice. They all started to do some easy laps in order to get warmed up and shake off the early morning sleepiness. It wasn't surprising to the girls, or even the coaches, that the new girls who were at tryouts yesterday didn't show up this morning. As usual, they were scared off from the vibe they were getting from the rest of the team. It was rare for the Mahora Warriors to gain any new players, especially since these girls became the team a few years back.

Asuna picked up a loose puck from along the boards and began to roll it around on her stick. She was glad that the so called "tryouts" were over and they could finally start an actual practice. It wouldn't be too much longer before they had their first game, and they needed to be prepared and come out strong in order to defend their perfect regular season title. She frowned and grumbled to herself as she remembered their one and only lose last year, and how pissed off she was at that stupid Kansai team for catching a lucky break. She vowed that this year would be different; if she ever gets the chance to meet up with that team again, they won't be so lucky. Asuna felt a nudge at her arm and looked up from her angry concentration on the puck to an excited and energetic looking goaltender.

"Looks like we managed to scare 'em off again, yeah Asuna?" asked Konoka as she playfully stole the puck away from her friend. "...Too bad...this team could have used some fresh meat..." She laughed as she watched Asuna roll her eyes. "I'm just kidding!"

"Doesn't matter...we don't need any of them anyway..." sighed Asuna as they made their way around the net. "I don't really care what Coach Takahata or the others think...we're fine just the way we are."

Konoka hit her stick off of her goalie pad and watched as the puck lazily slid across the ice and bank off of the boards. She sighed; Asuna could be really stubborn sometimes. "Yeah I guess...Hey, come take some shots on me to warm me up before practice starts. I want to make sure my new gear is broken in enough."

The team took about ten minutes to warm up and take some shots on Konoka before a whistle blew, signalling for them to make their way over to Takahata and Negi. They all quickly skated over and took a knee as Takahata put up a drill board and got his markers out to draw an explanation. Negi on the other hand, slowly skated over to the door on the opposite side of the ice.

"Alright girls...as you have probably all noticed by now, we're down to our original team once again..." began Takahata while he twirled a marker around in his fingers. Asuna gave her line mate Yuna a fist bump and most of the other girls seemed to smile. Takahata continued on, not seeming to notice. "However, we still need to fill our last spot...I can't believe that I'm saying this...but Negi seems to think he's found someone who will get the job done..."

The girls all began to murmur amongst each other and a few of them began to look around. No one had noticed if a new girl was currently on the ice or even kneeling with them here. If there actually was a new girl, she definitely wasn't in their group right now. Asuna quickly turned her head to glance behind her, remembering that Negi had made his way over to the far door when they all came in for the drill. She cursed under her breath as she saw Negi's head come poking up over the boards as he made his way back up the sloped hallway from the dressing rooms; a new player following closely behind him. Negi opened the door, and the two stepped out onto the ice.

Konoka's eyes light up and for some reason, her heart jumped to her throat.

Setsuna could feel everyone's eyes on her as she slowly made her way over to rest of the group. To anyone else, this feeling of scrutiny would have them turning tail and making their way back home before they embarrassed themselves. For Setsuna Sakurazaki however; this is what she livid for. She thrived off of tense situations and was always able to keep cool and have a clear head when under pressure; like a true warrior before an epic battle. It was for this reason that she had been chosen as team captain back at her old school in her very first year. Unfortunately, it had also been the reason for her dismal from the team when she finally snapped. She shook her head as she cleared the painful memory out of her mind.

_Time to focus...by the looks of it, they aren't exactly excited to see me..._

Setsuna effortlessly came to a stop and lightly bowed her head to Takamichi, who smiled at her in return. "Girls, I'm sure most of you know Setsuna Sakurazaki...the new transfer student in your class. From what Negi tells me, she's quiet the defenseman..." Setsuna coolly smirked inside to herself as she tried her best to keep a straight face.

Konoka listened as Asuna leaned in to whisper to Yuna. "She's good huh?...we'll just see about that...time to show her how Warriors do it..." Yuna nodded with a smirk as they continued to stare down Setsuna.

"Alright, since you still technically have to try out for the defensive spot Setsuna...let's see what you can do in a one on one situation." said Takamichi. "I want Konoka in nets and...Let's see...Asuna, you be the one to take her on. I want you to start with the puck in the bottom left corner there, then take a few steps before passing it up to Setsuna at center ice. Setsuna, I want you to quickly tap it back to her before pivoting and skating backwards into the one on one position, alright?"

"Yes sir..." replied Setsuna in a husky voice.

Asuna smirked as she got up. "Got it Taka..." She made her way past Setsuna, whispering to her as she brushed by. "Try and keep, alright?"

Setsuna watched the girl with long red hair poking out from under her helmet, skate off to the corner. This is exactly what she was expecting from who she assumed to be the captain of the team. She shook her head slightly before turning to make her way to center ice, suddenly feeling a tap on her shin from a stick.

"Hey...don't mind Asuna..." came from a smiling Konoka. "...Just protect me, alright?"

Setsuna blinked in surprise; she wasn't expecting to see that same girl she had helped with the book the day before. She sent her a nod and a wink. "It's what I'm here for miss..."

Konoka felt her face slightly heat up before turning and skating off to her net. For some reason, hearing Setsuna agree to protect her sent shivers down her spine. She could honestly say that no girl she had ever hooked up with before made her feel as...excited...as this new girl did. It was something about those dark, sharp eyes looking at her that really seemed to grab her attention. Konoka definitely wanted to get to know Setsuna a little better; that was for sure. She was hoping more than anything that her fortune was all about this girl. Once she got to her crease, she hit both her posts and slowly pushed out to a stop a few inches above it.

Once Setsuna got to center ice, she quickly rolled her shoulders and crouched down slightly in ready position. She managed to take a quick glance back to that goalie behind her, wondering what it was that made her keep thinking about her. Since helping her, Setsuna felt an over whelming urge to be around her, look out for her even. Maybe it was just all in her head; she was a defenseman after all and ironically, the girl she was thinking of was a goaltender. She continued to laugh to herself on just how ironic it was, when she heard Takahata blow the whistle to signal a start.

_Alright, here we go..._

Asuna picked up a puck with a grin before taking a few strides forward, releasing a hard, crisp pass up to Setsuna; she then took off after it. Setsuna was ready, and had already pushed forwards to meet the pass before making quick contact with it on her stick before sending it directly back with a vengeance to Asuna. With a quick shift in her weight, Setsuna pivoted easily and was now skating backwards at a perfectly timed pace with the fiery red head coming towards her. Now, the game of cat and mouse could truly begin.

Asuna was coming down the ice fast, expertly carrying the puck slightly in front of her as she drew closer to Setsuna. She was waiting, hesitating just enough to see if the defenseman would make the first move; that's when she would strike. Setsuna was making sure that the gap between them wasn't too big and was focusing all her attention on Asuna's shoulders. If the red head was to try anything, she would be able to tell by the way her upper body moved. Out of the corner of her eye, Setsuna noticed that the blue line was coming up fast behind her. Asuna noticed this too and decided that it was now or never. Tightening her grip on her stick, Asuna began to handle the puck back and forth as she was about to make a hard push across the ice to her left in order to position herself in line with the net. She began to curve inwards fast on her backhand when she felt her side make contact. Setsuna easily took Asuna out of scoring position by placing her own body hard into the red head's and guiding her away from the net. There was a gasp from the team still kneeled by the boards as they watched their top scoring center forward get brushed off like she was nothing.

Konoka stood up out of her stance, stunned. She blinked as Setsuna turned and curled around her before speaking. "See, kept you safe...no problem right?" She gave a quick salute to the goalie before skating back towards the group.

_Did that...did that just turn me on a little?..._

Konoka was still thinking about what just transpired between her and Setsuna when she heard a yell come from her best friend. "Oi, hold up a second Sakurazaki...let's do that again..."

Setsuna looked over to Takamichi, awaiting his approval on the new challenge. Surprisingly, he smiled and pointed her back to center ice indicating that it was in fact, perfectly fine for another round. Again, Setsuna made her way to center and crouched at the ready. For the second time in nearly as many minutes, Setsuna took out Asuna from any chance at scoring, despite the red head trying out deak and faking to the opposite side. Setsuna had read the play with no problem, and her well trained patience won out over the irritated center forward. Normally, this would have concluded the drill and the practice would have continued on with something different; however Asuna's ego had been damaged and she was not having it. Over the next several minutes, the two girls kept the drill going. Much to Asuna's irritation, the defenseman seemed to win out every, single, time. Eventually, Takamichi had to put his skate clad foot down and blow the whistle on the never ending cycle playing out before him. With forced restraint Asuna grumbled and made her way back to her spot beside Yuna, trying her best to avoid eye contact with her team mates.

"...Soooo, that's how Warrior's do it...eh Asuna?" giggled Yuna from behind her glove.

"Shut it Akashi!" breathed the red head through gritted teeth.

Negi smiled as he watched Setsuna come gliding to a stop just outside the group. He made eye contact and was sure to give her a gloved thumbs up to show his excited approval. Setsuna just nodded back, trying not to make it look like she was too full of herself in front of the tight nit team in front of her. From somewhere beside her, she caught a glimpse of the goalie girl striding past her and joining the still fuming red head.

"Well, very nicely done Setsuna...and you had a nice few attempts to Asuna. It really was a nice solid drill to watch." said Takamichi. "Since that took a little longer than expected, I'd like us to use the rest of this time to work on positioning. I'm going to break you girls into two teams and we'll have a scrimmage..."

There was a loud cheer from the team as they all became excited to finally play. They were separated into their lines and then split into teams for the mock game. Setsuna found that Coach Takahata had partnered her up with a girl named Makie, an energetic and somewhat immature pink haired girl. At first, Setsuna was unsure as to why such a girl was playing a sport like hockey, but she soon found out as she watched the smaller girl play as if she had been doing so for years. It was the first time in a long while that Setsuna felt like she was where she belonged. She didn't even seem to care that Asuna was giving her the cold shoulder and glaring at her whenever she skated by the bench; at least Makie seemed to be warming up to her, and what about Konoka?

Eventually, the buzzer sounded alerting the team that their practice time was up and that they needed to make their way off of the ice so it could be flooded. Setsuna was asked by Negi and Takahata to stay behind and pick up the pucks, which she had of course agreed to. The two coaches really wanted to speak with her about her tryout today and what her thoughts were for joining the team as the permanent, last spot defenseman.

Takamichi smiled as Setsuna glided over and dropped the last of the pucks into the bin in front of him. "So, you did very well out there today Setsuna...I was really impressed with the way you handled our Asuna on those one on ones. I also really liked your positioning and they way you handled yourself during the scrimmage."

"Thank you sir..." replied Setsuna with a slight bow of her head.

"Yeah, you did an amazing job today Setsuna!" added Negi. "Just like I knew you would...right Takamichi?"

Coach Takahata rolled his eyes and flopped a gloved hand down onto the young teacher's head. "Yes yes Negi, you were right..." He watched as Negi smirked back up at him. "Anyway Setsuna, I am more than happy to announce that if you'll accept, we'd be glad to have you as part of our team. The girls take some getting used to, but they aren't as bad as they seem."

"Even Asuna isn't like she was today..." mumbled Negi under his breath.

Setsuna thought to herself for a moment. She really did enjoying being back out here and did miss playing in real games, listening to the cheering crowds lining the stands. Maybe, this was the best thing for her; it might help her try and forget what happened in her past. She smiled back to the two coaches and stuck out her hand for a shake. "I'd really like to come play for your team...I'm in."

_Besides, what are the chances that we end up playing my old team anyway..._

Negi cheered with excitement as Takamichi grabbed a hold of Setsuna's extended hand and gave it a hardy shake. "That's great! I know that we're going to have a great year together..."

Crouching down behind the boards, trying to be as quiet as possible, was a small group of eaves droppers. They had quickly gotten off the ice and practically ran to the dressing room in order to tear off their gear and make it back out to listen to what their coach had to say to the new girl. It was just as they had expected.

"Well, looks like we got ourselves a new player..." sighed Mana, another defenseman for the team.

"Obviously...especially after the way she owned Kagurazaka out there today." laughed Yuna.

"Come on guys...it's not such a bad thing to have another defenseman." whispered Konoka. "...She seems pretty good..."

Kazumi giggled. "Yeah, you just wanna know if she's any good in bed...don't you Konoe?" she flinched as Konoka gave her a playful, yet hard, punch to the arm.

"Calm down guys geeze..." whispered Asuna as a thought seemed to come to her. "Konoka's right...this might not be such a bad thing. I mean, we never get a new girl on our team...maybe we could have some fun?"

The four other girls around her looked at her with questioning eyes. Finally Konoka spoke up with a slightly worried tone. "Oh gods Asuna, you don't mean..."

Asuna smirked at her friends and team mates as she moved in closer to them. "You heard her...she wants to be part of the team right? Looks like we're going to have to give her a proper...welcoming..."

Asuna quietly made her way back to the dressing room with the other girls following her closely. When they opened the door to their room, the red haired captain began to explain to the whole team her plans for initiating the new girl.

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Setsuna dropped her school bag down on the ground beside her bed before turning around and landing in a tired heap on top of her pillow. It had been an extremely long day once that morning's practice was over, what with classes and dodging awkward looks most of the girls were giving her. She felt rather uneasy when she walked into the dressing room as most of the other girls were either leaving or getting out of the showers; all of them sending her some sort of smirk. Setsuna did her best to play it off and act cool, but she had to admit to herself that it was getting harder and harder to act this way. Usually, the raven haired defenseman was quiet bashful around others, despite having the ability to keep calm and focused under tense situations. When she came to this school however, she decided that she would try to break away from that side of her, at least until she got comfortable or made some sort of friends. She didn't realize how hard it was to act cool and constantly throw off an air of confidence. Hopefully with being on the team now, she wouldn't have to keep it up much longer. Then again, she wasn't too sure if she would ever really be accepted with the other girls.

She turned over onto her stomach and stretched out before she snuggled down into her pillow. Maybe a nice short nap before heading out for a run would do her some good. With a final yawn, Setsuna closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep; images of her taking on Asuna from practice, and protecting that goalie Konoka slowly fogging into her vision.

BANG BANG BANG!

Setsuna shot straight up in her bed as she was startled awake by the loud smashing coming from her door. She quickly glanced over to her clock and noticed that her quick nap actually turned into a good four hour sleep. The defenseman face palmed as she noticed that it was now dark outside and probably too late for her to go on a run now; she would just have to wait until morning. Still hearing the constant bang on her door, Setsuna slowly got up and yawned as she made her way over to it. She sleepily began to rub her eyes as her other hand turned the knob and gently pulled the door open.

"Who is i-..." Setsuna was cut off as a hockey sock was pulled down over her face and her arms and legs were grabbed by a few sets of hands. Panic was beginning to set in as she realized that she had just been ambushed and was no doubt being kidnapped. Despite the sock being tight around her face, Setsuna managed to get out some sort of words. "Wha..what the hell is going on!"

The raven haired girl was answered with giggles and loud fits of laughter. Clearly whoever these people were that had her, were having a good old time listening to her freak out. Setsuna took a deep breath and calmed down as she decided that panicking was only going to make this worse, and that she should now slip back into cool and collective mode. She lay hanging in the at the mercy of the hands wrapped around every part of her in silence; hoping more than anything that this was just some sort of prank and that she wasn't going to end up on the back of a milk carton in the next few days...

After what seemed like an eternity, Setsuna felt her captors come to a slow stop before gently letting her fall a few inches to the ground. From what Setsuna could feel under her, she was outside and most likely in a wooded area. The defenseman usually did a lot of cardio training in the woods, as it proved to be more of a challenge on her body; she wasn't a stranger to the outdoors. Before she had a chance to reach up and pull the sock off of her face, Setsuna was once again being grabbed from both sides by two pairs of hands. To her horror, she felt her hoody and shirt being pulled over her sock covered head as her jeans were being yanked off of her legs. Then, she felt something cold, maybe it was a tube of lipstick or something, writing on her back and stomach. The hands then left her just as quickly as they had come to her, leaving her kneeling on one knee on the soft cold ground. Slowly, Setsuna took a deep breath and put a dark poker face on before reaching up and pulling the sock from her head.

Setsuna looked straight ahead of her, cursing inside her head as she took in the sight; she should have known. "I take it this is some sort of initiation then?"

Captain Asuna was standing at the front of the team who were all, for the most part, staring at the almost naked defenseman in front of them. The red head smirked as she slightly stepped forward. "Awww, now you ruined the surprise Sakurazaki... that was supposed to be our big reveal to you!" She paused for a moment as she took in some laughter from the team behind her. Asuna was hoping to get some sort of rise or payback on the raven haired girl for making her look stupid on the ice earlier. She took a few more steps closer, and then continued. "You can probably tell that we don't get many new girls on the team...don't really know why..."

"It's probably cause we're a bunch of assholes!" yelled Ku, another defenseman from somewhere behind Asuna. The team laughed and even Asuna smiled at that one.

Setsuna slowly stood up and looked down at her stomach to see what was written on it. The words "Puck Bunny" seemed to be mocking her in their bright red form. She could only imagine what was on her back. She then calmly glanced back up to the red head. "Alright, I get it...I need to earn my way on here." She took a deep breath and concentrated on staying cool instead of freaking out in a panic like her head was telling her to do. "...What exactly do I have to do?"

Asuna walked right up to Setsuna and put an arm around the slightly shorter girl's shoulders. "It's easy Sakurazaki...all you gotta do is make it back to the common room in our dorm...easy right?"

Setsuna was about to nod, but she caught a glance of an uneasy look coming from a set of large brown eyes staring at her from the group. Konoka was watching her, and something was telling the defenseman that she should be a little more worried about her task. Setsuna gently took Asuna's arm and lifted it off of her shoulder before asking her question. "What's the catch?"

Now Asuna smiled as she was joined by Yuna, Mana, a girl named Kaede, Kazumi and Ku. "Well...you have to make it back to the dorms without getting hit by these girls with balloons filled with pink paint...there's a target drawn on your back."

Setsuna looked on as the group of girls gave her menacing looks. She stood her ground as she pressed on. "Alright...what happens if they get lucky and hit me?"

Asuna scoffed at the somewhat cocky sounding comment. "When they DO hit you, you'll be subjected to a month's worth to the humiliation of our choice..."

Konoka looked over to Makie beside her and both shared a look of concern upon hearing their captain's last words. Setsuna on the other hand, focused hard on keeping calm and began to roll her shoulder blades with impatience; she did miss her run today, at least she could get it in. "Fair enough...when do we start?"

"You have a five minute head start..." smiled Asuna as she clapped the defenseman on the back. "As soon as you take off, it begins..."

Without another word, Setsuna nodded towards the team before taking off from the clearing and back into the woods. She needed to get as much distance as possible between her and that small group before they came after her. Setsuna realized that she was at a slight disadvantage, mostly due to the fact that she had only just arrived at the school two days ago and didn't really know the layout of the massive city like campus. She did however; know how to navigate herself, thanks to all of her outdoors training sessions. She didn't know why, but she felt a need to prove herself to these girls; she wanted to be part of a team again. She also wanted to be there to protect Konoka, the one who she kept thinking about and the only one that seemed to show some sort of concern for her. Setsuna soon noticed that the trees were thinning out and that she must be coming to the edge of the forest. She was about to make her way out of the clearing and into the street, when she realized that she was in nothing but her sports bra and boy cut boxer shorts with "Puck Bunny" written on her. Suddenly, her bashful side seemed to get the better of her as she took a moment to hide behind a log and contemplate her next, hopefully not embarrassing move.

Meanwhile back at the clearing, the small group of girls gathered up as many paint balloons as they could stuff into their bags without having them explode. They were excited to get the initiation game going. Konoka and Makie on the other hand, were starting to feel like this whole thing was going a little too far. The goaltender picked up Setsuna's discarded clothes and began to make her way back to the dorm communal room with the pink haired defenseman where she could wait and see if the raven haired girl made it. Asuna watched as her best friend walked away from the rest of the team, sighing in irritation as she realized that Setsuna must really have some sort of effect on the goalie. The red head was sort of jealous; she always was when the chocolate haired goaltender got involved with someone. Ever since the two of them dated for a few months back in their last year of junior high, Asuna felt extremely protective of her best friend and roommate. It hadn't worked out for them, and both agreed that they were too good of friends to keep it up, but Asuna was still very attached to the goalie. It didn't help that now the one girl who managed to make her look like a fool on the ice happened to be the same one her friend seemed to have a thing for. Asuna became annoyed now as she thought about it.

"Oi, you guys..." she yelled to the small group of balloon assassins. "...It's been long enough...Go!"

With that, the group of five took off into the woods in the same direction that Setsuna had taken only three minutes before. The rest of the team cheered as they slowly began to make their way back to the dorm. Asuna stood in the clearing alone for a moment in silence, wondering if maybe she was letting her pride get in the way of something that may potentially be good for the rest of her team. She was the captain after all, maybe she should reconsider. With a small laugh to herself, the red head brushed off the thought and made her way back with the rest of the team.

_Let's just see what this kid is made of..._

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**Damn, Asuna can be a little bit of an Asshole eh? Kid needs to check herself...**


	3. Wanted, In More Ways Than One

**Alright, here we go with part 3! I hope everyone likes this one as much as the last two...**

**Also, I decided to draw up a quick sketch of what Mahora Academy's hockey jerseys would look like. Here's the link if you want to take a look: .com/#/d4okm8o**

**I'll be taking the next few days to work on the next chapter of G2GA, but don't worry, there'll be more fast paced hockey and konosetsu action when Power Play! returns... **

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**Wanted, In More Ways Than One...**

Konoka had pulled a couch over to the window in the common room and was now leaning over the back of it, staring outside to the front entrance. It had been fifteen minutes since she and Makie had returned from the woods, and there was still no sign of Setsuna anywhere. Something was wrong out there, she just knew it. As soon as Asuna had announced the plan for initiating the raven haired girl onto the team, Konoka was against it. She hated the idea of humiliating someone, and saw it as an abuse of power from her friend and captain. Besides, she was pretty sure the whole team could get into a lot of trouble if any of the teachers found out about it.

The goalie sighed as she thought about the girl currently running for her life out in the woods, probably lost considering she was brand new to the school. The more she thought about it, the more she began to fidget. There was nothing about this whole mess that she liked. Well, there was that one thing; Konoka didn't mind catching a glimpse of Setsuna's nearly naked body set perfectly out on display in front of her. Her own body began to heat up as she closed her eyes and images of the extremely fit and toned raven haired girl floated into her vision. The defenseman's body was perfect in every single way. Setsuna's slender frame more or less drove Konoka crazy, with those strong looking arms and tight muscle infused stomach. She let her forehead gently tap against the window as she continued to think about her.

It was also frustrating to Konoka that Setsuna had been unexpectedly thrown into this humiliating task, and she felt personally responsible for not stepping up to try and stop it. She began to panic a little when she thought that maybe the defenseman would be angry with her, thus tearing a rift in any potential possibility of getting to know her a little better. Konoka couldn't have that; she needed to follow through with her fortune and she needed to somehow be with this girl. She vowed to herself that from now on, she would do whatever it takes to make Setsuna feel like she was part of the team and make sure to keep Asuna in check. The goalie brought her head up off of the window with a determined expression to replace the one of worry. Suddenly the door to the room flung open, causing Konoka to jolt up and turn around; her heart fell when she noticed that it wasn't the defenseman walking through it.

Asuna made her way into the room followed by the remaining members of the team who were left in the clearing. They all dispersed around the room, either talking with one another or sitting down to watch some TV. The red head however, made her way to the couch where Konoka was sitting and flopped down beside her, bringing her legs up to rest on the goalies lap while she stretched out. Konoka just sat there in a slightly irritated silence.

Asuna closed her eyes and smirked as a feeling of smugness spread through her. "Geeze, Sakurazaki still isn't back yet huh? Maybe I should start thinking up some more embarrassing things for her month of humili-..."

Konoka couldn't take it anymore, so she interrupted the captain by throwing her legs off of her lap causing Asuna to tumble hard on the floor. Some team mates stopped what they were doing and looked over to the surprised looking Asuna slumped down on the ground. She put on a quick smile and waved everyone off, pretending that she had fallen on her own. Once everyone's attention was back on what they were doing, Asuna shot Konoka an angry look. Without another word, Konoka got up and made her way out of the room towards her own place; Asuna rolled her eyes in irritation and quickly followed her.

Once back in their dorm room, Asuna closed the door behind her and reached over for the light switch. "Konoka, what the hell was all that about?" asked Asuna as she turned to face her friend. She was greeted with a glare and arms threateningly crossed over the goalies chest. "Whoa..."

"I can't believe you Asuna!" replied Konoka angrily, trying her best not to raise her voice as she slowly moved closer to her friend. "What the hell were you thinking when you came up with this half-baked initiation idea? Do you understand what could happen to Setsuna, not to mention the team, if anything goes wrong out there tonight?"

Asuna backed up a little and tried to hide the fact that Konoka was scaring her with the look of death in her eyes. "Sakurazaki is a big kid...apparently she's so amazing, it shouldn't be a problem for her to win this one too, right?" Asuna finished with another eye roll and crossed her own arms.

Now Konoka was infuriated. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well shit Konoka, Sakurazaki is ONLY the new golden gift to the team right?" yelled Asuna out of frustration. "It's like she's gonna be Takahata's pet or something...it pisses me off that she doesn't seem to even try and things just work out for her...take a look at what's going on with you for example..."

The goalie blushed slightly; of course Asuna knew that she was into Setsuna and the fact that they had once dated probably was making her jealous. Suddenly, a realization snapped clear into her head. "OH HO HO...don't tell me all of this is because you're jealous of her Asuna...from the looks of it, she's an amazing defenseman and you're just going to have to get over yourself about practice...and with how I feel about her..."

Asuna stood there in silence and tried not to show any sort of defeat. Konoka knew her all too well and of course, was able to pinpoint exactly what she was thinking. She calmed herself before brushing off the exchange of words. "Whatever Konoka..."

The goalie sighed, still angry as she brushed by her supposed friend and roommate before opening the door to head back to the common room. She paused briefly and sent an icy stare towards the red head. "All I can say is that you better hope Setsuna shows up here without so much as a splash of paint on her..."

With that Konoka slammed the door, leaving the captain alone in their shared dorm room. Asuna stood there quietly for a moment before slamming off the light and making her own way back to the room.

_Great...it's going to be a long friggin year..._

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Setsuna was slowly and quietly making her way along the edge of the woods alongside Mahora's main street, being extra careful to keep herself hidden as much as possible. Every so often she would stop and duck behind a rock or tree in order to collect her bearings or check and see if she was being followed by her trackers. She couldn't believe how jumpy she was feeling right now; every little snap of a twig or noise from the city sent her senses into overdrive. It was almost as if survival mode was kicking in, and Setsuna was now running for her life. She was determined to make it. The defenseman was not going to fail this test; she needed to prove to everyone that she did in fact, belong with them on the team.

After about ten minutes, Setsuna completely slowed down as she saw that the woods were coming to an end beside her as a lake was blocking its path. She stopped behind a tree so that she could think about what her next move should be. The girl's dorms couldn't be too far from where she was now; she knew at least that much for sure. She sighed as she took her attention away from navigating the sky to the road next to her and noticed that there was some sort of sign placed next to a foot path leading from the road to the lake. Taking a quick glance around to make sure she wasn't being watched, the half naked defenseman ran over to it. Much to her relief, it turned out to be a map of the campus meant to be used for lost visitors. Her relief was short livid though, as she saw that from where she currently was on the map, the only real path to the dorms lead her straight through the city.

_Gods damn it! Of course I have to go through the busy campus to get back! Why the hell else would they tear off my clothes and write this crap on me...shit. How am I going to make it through without being seen now? Plus, I'm pretty sure we're all going to get in trouble if any of the teachers catch me...even though the team's putting me through this, I can't let them get in trouble...Gah! That sounds stupid...oh well, it's all for the team..._

Setsuna took a deep calming breath and tried to slip back into cool and confident mode. She needed to make her way through campus and she needed to do it fast. There was only so much longer she could avoid the others before her luck ran out. The defenseman was trying to think fast of her best possible route back to the dorms when she heard it. There was a rush of air as Setsuna felt something brush by her ear, missing her by centimetres. With a loud splat, a balloon burst open on the sign beside her sending pink paint flying in all directions. She turned around and saw to her horror that Yuna was standing at the edge of the woods; another balloon waiting at the ready.

"Game on Sakurazaki!" yelled Yuna as she brought her arm back into launching position.

Before the balloon had a chance to leave Yuna's finger tips, Setsuna took off into the city. The defenseman heard the forward curse as she picked up her bag and tried to follow her as fast as she could. She now watched as balloons began to fly over her head or off to her sides. Setsuna laughed to herself as she thought about the lousy aim Yuna had; it was a good thing she had a better shot on the ice. The defenseman quickly rounded a corner and turned down an alley behind a restaurant, diving behind a pile of trash bags to make sure she was hidden. She listened as the forward's feet came crashing around the same corner before taking off down the street and away from her current hiding spot. Setsuna let out a sigh of relief and let her head slowly fall back against the brick wall behind her as she began to breathe again. Somehow, she had managed to survive her first attack despite it throwing her completely off guard. If she was going to make it back to the dorm paint free, she would have to seriously focus and start paying attention.

Setsuna got up and stretched out her legs before slowly making her way to the other end of the alley way. She wasn't about to risk running into a back tracking Yuna by going the way she came. Her only chance at this point was to continue on through the main area of the city like campus. If she was lucky, the other girls wouldn't dare draw any authoritative attention by attacking her in a crowd. At the same time, she had to keep in mind that she was down to her underwear and any run in with passersby could also get her into trouble. If she could somehow get a hold of some clothes, she would be set. Setsuna made her way to the end of the alley, leaned close to the wall and slowly stuck her head around the corner. She cursed in her head as she took in the sight of the busy street in front of her.

_Shit! I forgot that it's Friday... all the University students are out at the campus bars tonight...how am I going to get around all these drunks?_

She began to look around the street, trying to figure out a way to make it across without being noticed. From what she could see, the only safe route away from this busy area and towards the dorms was through a side street that was across and slightly up from her current position. She also noticed that there were a lot of cars parked along the side of the street, as well as many groups of people standing around talking amongst themselves. If she timed it right and was super careful about it, Setsuna could use these obstacles to her advantage and make it over. It was time for her to slip into stealthy ninja mode as she took a deep breath and crouched down. With a final glance around, the defenseman made her way over to the first group of unsuspecting people.

_Alright, just keep your head down, keep calm, and keep moving..._

Without so much as an escaped breath to give herself away, the nearly naked Setsuna quickly made her way from group of drunks to group of drunks. She squeezed her way through legs, around a trash can, and then took a short pause between two parked cars. She took another look around and noticed that Kazumi was walking towards the alley she had just left, leaving her secondary escape route completely closed off. Setsuna waited for her team mate's head to turn away from the street before slowly making her way over to the next car. It was now time for the most dangerous part of her mission; crossing the open street. The defenseman took a deep breath and began to count to three as her head went on a swivel. On three, she raced across the street and dove under a large delivery truck.

As she lay there flat on her stomach under the truck, Setsuna looked on as Kazumi was joined by Yuna and Ku. The three looked as if they were angry, probably because they hadn't so much as left a splash of pink paint on their new team mate. At least the defenseman could take some comfort on the fact that three of her hunters were now behind her. Setsuna began to crawl to the sidewalk, keeping an eye out for the other two. After checking quickly, she pulled herself out from under the truck and made her way into the side street that would bring her to the dorms. She began to relax and smile to herself as the girl's dorm slowly began to poke its way into the horizon. The defenseman stretched out her arms and brought them back to rest behind her head. She was basically home free without so much as a blink of an image of the other two girls. Setsuna even looked down at her stomach and laughed as the once harsh words of "Puck Bunny" began to look less menacing. She was basically home free.

WHOOSH

At first Setsuna thought she was dreaming when she felt someone rush past her at top speed. However; her thought to be dream turned quickly into a nightmare as she realized that Mana and Kaede had ran past her and blocked her only way to the dorm. She was about to turn around when her sharp ears picked up three more sets of feet come to a halt behind her. The defenseman was surrounded and looked on as all of the girls playfully tossed balloons up or down or from hand to hand. She had let her guard down again and was now about to face the pink wrath that was the Mahora Warriors.

"So close Sakurazaki..." smirked Mana coolly. "I have to admit that I'm impressed though...I didn't think you'd hide from us for this long..."

"Yeah, I'd say you get at least fifty points for trying!" laughed Ku as she grabbed a second balloon from her bag.

_There's got to be a way out of this... I'm not just going to give up, especially when I'm this close... if it's a chase they want, then it's a chase they'll get..._

Setsuna looked up with a calm and defeated look. She sighed and raised both her hands in the air. "Alright guys...you win...let me have i-HOLY CRAP IS THAT COACH TAKAHATA AND NEGI?"

All the girl's attention quickly left Setsuna and was now forced on the spot behind Mana and Kaede. It took them a few seconds to realize that their coaches weren't there before returning their gaze back to the defenseman. Instead of finding the nearly naked raven haired girl cowering in the center of their circle, the girls became furious when they were staring across an empty space at one another. Mana cursed out loud as the group formed together just in time to catch a blurred image of Setsuna running off back towards the city. Within seconds, the group was off in hot pursuit of the clever defenseman.

Setsuna rounded a corner just as the first of the paint balloons splattered on the wall of the building beside her. She was determined to outrun these girls and make it back to the room unscathed. She ducked as she sensed another balloon come whizzing by her head and smash open on the ground in front of her. The defenseman smirked as she easily jumped over the puddle of pink and continued on down another deserted side street. Just then, Kaede came around the corner in front of her and caused her to skid to a stop.

_She must have went around the other side to cut me off... man she's quick... like a ninja or something...come on Setsuna think fast! Over there!_

Thinking fast, the defenseman ran to her right and quickly made a jump up on to a tall chain fence. For a brief second, she lost her footing as a balloon flew at her and again missed her by a hair before bouncing off of the fence and landing on the ground. Setsuna quickly scrambled to the top and launched herself over. Unfortunately for her, a loud ripping noise sounded as her boxers decided that they quiet liked the view from the top of the fence and thought that maybe they wanted to stay there. The defenseman landed on all fours with a thud as an embarrassed blush made its way across her usually calm face. Not only was she running for her life, but she was now completely naked from the waist down and in someone's backyard. She grew even more embarrassed as she heard cat calls and whistles coming from Yuna and Kazumi from the other side of the fence. She calmed herself as best as she could before standing up and taking off again, remembering that she was still being chased and the girls would be over that fence in no time.

As Setsuna made her way over the next few fences, she started to think about what she should do to cover herself before making her way back to the dorm. There was no way she could show her face there in her current state. Maybe if she was lucky, she would come across someone's forgotten laundry drying outside and she could borrow a pair of pants. Her idea was fading though as she jumped the last fence belonging to a house and found nothing out to dry. Setsuna made her way to the back side of the fence in an attempt to try and turn herself back in the direction of the dorms. She pulled herself over just as Mana's head poked over the fence she had just came from. As soon as she landed, the raven haired girl took off towards the safety of the building a little ways up from where she was. She made her way up the steps, hoping that this was another one of the girl's dorms and she could somehow bum a pair shorts from one of the girls inside. The defenseman suddenly froze when she saw dark red scruffy hair poking up through the window. Setsuna quickly dove over the railing and hid in a bush as Negi, followed by Takamichi made their way out of the teacher's living quarters.

_Seriously? What the hell are the chances of running into them? Gah! This school just wants me kicked out..._

"Alright Negi, where did you want to go for a bit to eat at this hour?" asked Takamichi as they made their way down the stairs. "I'm tired of sushi so it better be something good to drag me away from watching last year's game tapes."

Setsuna watched from the bushes as Negi scratched the back of his head. "Well I was thinking that we grab some pizza from down the street and maybe play some pool? All we ever do on week nights are school related things or watching tapes...why don't we have a little fun?"

Takamichi laughed and gave the young genius teacher beside him a noogie. "Ah! So there is a kid in there! I knew it!"

Setsuna covered her mouth to hide a laugh as she watched Negi try and grab Takamichi's hand to stop the ruffling of his hair. Just then, the two coaching buddies were interrupted by five girls jumping over a fence wearing heavy looking school bags. The defenseman almost swore out loud as the girls came to a grinding halt when the teachers caught their eyes. Seeing the girls, especially out at this hour, caused both Negi and Takamichi to look at them suspiciously. The two teachers made their way over to the girls, who now looked like they were going to die from heart attacks. Setsuna watched on from her hiding spot with clenched fists.

"It's awfully late for you girls to be out isn't it?" asked Takamichi while trying to get a look at the bags they were carrying. "Shouldn't you all be back at the dorm with the rest of the girls?"

Mana gulped but was quick to reply in a calm manner. "We were just out doing some cardio and resistance training coach. We wanted to get ahead of our workouts this year, so we thought stuffing our bags full of weights and going for a run would be a good idea...right Kaede?"

"Yeah...training." agreed Kaede with a nod. "Fences make great obstacles, it helps get the blood flowing!"

"Late night runs are best runs!" added Ku.

"Not like we were out causing trouble or anything!" said Yuna.

Setsuna face palmed and grumbled to herself when she heard Yuna over do it. They were going to be given away if they continued to give out answers like that, especially with Negi there. From what the defenseman gathered, Negi was a child genius who graduated from university when he was around ten with a teaching degree. He was more than smart enough to notice if something was up, and Yuna basically handed him their guilt on a silver platter. As if the skies opened up and the gods themselves decided to come to their rescue, Negi continued on with the conversation not noticing the comment.

"Well, just make sure you girls are careful alright?" said Negi. "We don't need anyone getting hurt or worse out here...and be sure to get back to your rooms soon. It's definitely past your bed times."

The girls all laughed and Kazumi reached out to ruffle her young teacher's hair. "Don't you mean it's past YOUR bedtime kid?" Even Takamichi laughed as Negi struggled to get away from Kazumi's hand.

Setsuna decided that she would use this distraction to her advantage and quickly made her way out of the bush and over the ledge to the stairs. She turned around and stuck her head back over the ledge and gave a playful salute to any of the girls who could see her before jumping over the other side of the stairs and making a run for the dorm. She laughed as she imagined the pissed off looks her team mates had while still trying to get away from their coaches. With her head held high, the defenseman made her way up the stairs of her dorm building and in through the doors. She was feeling great and couldn't believe that she had actually made it through the initiation without even getting hit once. The defenseman gave herself a mental pat on the back as she made her way up the stairs to the senior girl's 6-A floor. She entered into the hallway and began her walk of triumph to the common room. With a final smirk of accomplishment, Setsuna rounded the corner and entered the room. Suddenly she became completely aware that everyone was staring at her, and all at once she remembered that she was only wearing a sports bra and that she must have forgotten about her clothing malfunction when she ran into the coaches.

Konoka on the other hand was now staring at Setsuna with her eyes glued once again on that perfectly toned and naked body. She began to feel hot as the raven haired girl began to blush all over and her stomach tightened when she hunched over to cover herself. It was official; the goalie had to have her. The feeling of want running through her had never felt this strong before. She continued to watch and basically drool over the defenseman as Makie quickly ran over and offered Setsuna her hoody to wrap around her until she could grab some clothes. Konoka snapped out of it and even began to pout as the naked defenseman wrapped away her body.

Asuna stood up from where she was sitting, a look of surprise and disbelief stuck on her face. She cleared her throat before stepping forward to rest her hand on Setsuna's shoulder. "Well...that was unexpected...I can't believe you made it without getting hit." She paused as Setsuna looked at her with irritated eyes. She smirked at her and continued on. "I was hoping for a fun filled month, but I guess we can't always get what we want. Anyway Sakurazaki...let me be the first to welcome you to the Warriors..."

There was a loud cheer as the rest of the team came up to congratulate their newly accepted team mate. There were pats on the back and ruffling of hair from everyone gathered around her. Konoka stayed behind and looked on as her team swarmed the defenseman. She was contemplating the best way to go about getting with the new girl. The goalie could always try what she always did, but something was telling her that just using her assets wasn't going to work. If she wanted her fortune to come true, she would have to try her best to find out everything she could about Setsuna. She smiled as she watched the raven haired girl calmly back away from the group, saying that she would be back to celebrate after she put some clothes on. Konoka smirked to herself as she thought that if everything went her way, she would be seeing more of Setsuna the way she was now.

Asuna walked back to her best friend and tapped her on the shoulder. Konoka looked up after snapping out of her thoughts and saw a look of guilt on the red head's face. "Look Konoka...I'm sorry alright? You're my best friend and I really acted like an ass back in our room. Let's just put this behind us yeah? Sakurazaki made it back paint free... nothing like that will happen again ok?"

Konoka nodded and decided to give her friend a hug as a sign of accepting her apology. "Thanks Asuna, I appreciate it. I just hope that one day, you can come to terms with Setsuna and maybe the two of you could be friends... I think as captain, that would be the best thing you could do, not only for the team, but for yourself."

Asuna rolled her eyes behind Konoka's back, but returned the hug none the less.

_I can't see that happening anytime soon Konoka...I don't know what it is about Sakurazaki, but there's something I don't like...and no one makes me look like an asshole on the ice...no one..._

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After getting herself some new clothes, Setsuna had made her way back to the common room where she joined her team as well as the rest of her class. Everyone was enjoying themselves, talking amongst each other or gathering around the TV where Asuna and Yuna were playing NHL 2012 on the room's Playstation 3. The rest of Setsuna's hunters had come up to congratulate her on her victory over them and for managing to trick them. They also told her about trying to get away from Negi and Takamichi after she managed to escape, saying that Negi wouldn't shut up long enough for them to get a word of dismissal in. The defenseman laughed as she pictured a rambling Negi standing clueless in front of a group of irritated girls. Eventually, the defenseman was joined by an excited and cheerful looking Makie.

"Oi Setsuna! I'm so stoked that you made it through initiation!" she began. "I was totally against it, I thought it wasn't fair to put you through that...but our team does tend to get carried away..."

Setsuna smiled at the pink haired girl. "Naw, it's cool Makie...don't worry about it."

Makie offered Setsuna a high five, which she returned, before continuing on. "Anyway, looks like me and you are gonna be defensive partners this year! I'm pretty excited, it'll be the first time that we have set partners instead of rotating through the lines. I know that you and I will kick ass this year!"

"I bet we will Makie." laughed Setsuna as she watched pink hair basically bounce around in front of her.

Makie stopped bouncing for a moment and tried her best to become serious. "As your defensive partner, I feel that it's my duty to give you the low down on everyone on the team. Brace yourself...we're a pretty interesting bunch!"

Setsuna smiled and sat down on a couch that Makie had decided to flop down on before listening intently about all of the players on her team. Makie was sure to point out every single one individually before proceeding to tell her partner everything about them. While Makie was explaining their team's dynamics, Setsuna couldn't help but steal quick glances towards Konoka, who was sitting on the floor next to Asuna watching her play the game. The more she looked at her goalie, the more she realized how attractive the girl was. It felt like butterflies were starting to fill her stomach as she realized that she was now going to be spending a lot more time with her. The defenseman could feel her bashful side start to bring itself back whenever she thought about Konoka now. She didn't even know the girl, but she still felt like they were somehow connected.

Makie looked back at her partner after explain Asuna's whole background, when she noticed her staring at Konoka. The pink haired girl laughed and shook her head slowly, causing Setsuna to snap out of it and turn her attention back to her. "I see that Konoka has caught your eye...figures, she always seems to have that effect on girls..."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Setsuna leaned in a little closer so she could better hear Makie.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that you've noticed how hot she looks right?" Makie paused and watched as Setsuna looked away to try and hide a blush. She laughed and continued. "Of course you did...anyway you aren't the only one. Konoe's pretty popular when it comes to the ladies...that's why you'll notice that we'll call her princess from time to time...it's cause when it comes to stuff like that, Konoka always gets what she wants. I mean don't get me wrong, she's a totally awesome person...but she does seem to go through girls like I go through sticks...which is a lot..."

Setsuna gulped as she quickly realized that her vision of an innocent pretty girl was shattered and that a new, more provocative image of Konoka quickly took its place. She suddenly felt intimidated by the goalie that she would give anything to protect. Maybe, she should be careful around this girl; she wanted to get to know her, maybe even be with her, but not if it meant that she was going to be tossed aside once Konoka had gotten what she wanted from her. She was definitely going to be careful, especially now that they were team mates. Setsuna didn't want to mess up any sort of team chemistry when she just managed to win most of them over. She sighed as she looked back at Konoka, hoping more than anything that she wouldn't be seen as just some other girl to her.

"Anyway, welcome to the team Setsuna!" smiled Makie as she clapped her partner on the back. "I think you're gonna like being a Warrior, especially when you but on our bitchin' colours for the first time. Nothing looks sweeter than the old black, red and silver!"

She smiled one last time at her raven haired partner before getting up and joining the rest of their team and class in front of the TV. Setsuna sat there, alone and in silence as she took in everything her partner had just told her. From the sounds of it, this team was a lot like her old one, which made her slightly worry as she thought back on the previous year. No matter what happens over the next season, she vowed to herself to never go the same way she had before. She was going to keep calm and avoid anything that even resembled the situation that got her dismissed from the team. She sighed as she continued to glance at Konoka.

_Even if it means being hesitant around her..._


	4. Time To Get Sweaty

**It's time for part 4! Sorry for the late update, but midterms and other school related things are taking over my life at the moment...bleh...**

**Anyway, hope everyone likes this new instalment. Look for more to come shortly, and thanks to everyone who have been reviewing. Keep 'em coming!**

**The next chapter is going to be a good one...I can feel it!**

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**Time To Get Sweaty...**

The next week flew by rather quickly as Setsuna adjusted to life at Mahora and as a team member. Every morning the defenseman would haul herself out of bed, do a few quick stretches, and then head out for a long morning run just before sunrise. From there, she would end up at the Superplex for her team's daily practice. Thanks to her diligent training routine, Setsuna was rarely tired and had no problem making it through the rest of the day's classes. She was amazed though, that most of her team mates weren't out preparing for the upcoming season like she was. At her old school, it was required of each player to undergo a set amount of off-ice training in order to play in the games. From what Setsuna had seen so far, there was no such rule. She shrugged it off and decided that her schedule was already engrained into her system, so training would definitely continue; it wasn't like she hated it anyway, working out felt good.

It was now Friday, and Setsuna sat at her desk waiting for the final bell to ring to signal the end of the day. The defenseman was growing impatient while waiting for classes to finish, as there was an important meeting to attend with the team back at their dressing room. She sighed as her eyes kept flicking over to the clock on the wall and got the feeling like time had decided to stop functioning. According to the clock, she still had to sit through another ten minutes of math class. She slightly groaned as her fingers began to fidget with her pencil; math wasn't her strongest of subjects and she would rather be anywhere but here right now. Suddenly, she felt something light hit her in the back of the head. Setsuna slowly glanced at the professor at the front of the room, making sure he wasn't looking before bending sideways and picking up a piece of crumpled up paper. She brought it up to her lap and quietly opened it up.

**If you keep taping that pencil on the desk you're eventually going to bust a hole through it... –Konoka**

The defenseman laughed to herself as she read the goalie's words. She should have guessed that the note was from Konoka, since she was the only one on the team aside from Makie to get to know her over the last few days. The goalie had been putting a solid effort in to make Setsuna feel welcome to the team ever since the initiation. At first, the defenseman was careful thanks to listening to Makie explain Konoka's hook up history; but as the days went by she felt as if her defence partner was over exaggerating. The Konoka she was getting to know seemed to be a lot less intimidating than she had imagined. Still though, Setsuna had decided to watch herself, just in case the goalie had ulterior motives for her kindness. She still hoped more than anything that Konoka saw her differently, as she wanted more than anything to be with her. The defenseman glanced over her shoulder and saw the goalie smiling at her with a slightly annoyed looking Asuna sitting next to her. She turned back and rolled her eyes as she began to scribble down a response.

**If that bell doesn't go off soon, I'm going to lose it... what do you think the coaches want to talk to us about anyway? –Setsuna**

Taking another quick look at the professor to make sure that he wasn't looking, Setsuna quickly balled the paper back up and tossed it along the floor back to the goalie. She quickly sat back up again as some of her neighbours giggled. The defenseman tried her best to hide a blush as she realized how childish and obvious this looked to the rest of the girls; and if Konoka's track record was true, it would even seem like a waste of time to them. Within less than a minute, Setsuna felt paper once again hit her head, this time getting stuck in her side pony. Her blush seemed to deepen as she heard a small giggle coming from Konoka. She quickly grabbed the note and started to open it again on her lap.

**No idea...but hey, could I talk to you after the meeting? –Konoka **

Instead of tempting fate with another toss of the paper, Setsuna turned her head and gave a nod. She watched as the goalie's face light up before returning to her notebook. Now Setsuna was even more annoyed that time was going by so slow. Finally after what felt like an eternity, the bell sounded and the entire class shot up from their seats and drove out the door. The defenseman joined a small group of her team mates as they made their way out the door and over to the Superplex. Upon their arrival, Negi handed out a stack of papers to each girl as they entered the dressing room. They all sat down at their designated spots and started to talk amongst themselves as Takamichi entered the room, carrying a clipboard.

"Alright girls listen up..." He said as he gently shut the door behind him. "As you all know, the start of season home opener is quickly coming upon us. I know that you're excited to get things started again, but there are a few new things we need to go over..."

"Is the school finally deciding to pay us?" shouted Yuna. The girls laughed as both Negi and Takamichi rolled their eyes.

"No, but the board members have decided to come up with a few new rules for all of its' sports teams." He paused as the room groaned in unison. If the school was getting involved, it was never anything good. "First, I want you all to turn your papers to the second page where you'll see the final line placements..."

All the girls quickly flipped their papers over to take a look at the lines. After a few moments of looking them over, the whole team cheered together as they seemed more than happy with their placements. Setsuna was especially happy when she saw who she was paired up with. She quickly glanced over the rest of the list to see what the rest of her team was looking like.

**Mahora Warriors Team List**

**Goalie:**

**#13 Konoe, Konoka**

**Defence Partners:**

**#18 Tatsumiya, Mana- #20 Nagase, Kaede**

**#12 Fei, Ku- #09 Kasuga, Misora**

**#15 Sakurazaki, Setsuna- #16 Sasaki, Makie**

**#05 Izumi, Ako- #01 Aisaka, Sayo**

**Forwards:**

**#02 Akashi, Yuna- #08 Kagurazaka, Asuna- #03 Asakura, Kazumi**

**#31 Rainyday, Zazie- #06 Okochi, Akira- #14 Saotome, Haruna**

**#07 Kakizaki, Misa- #17 Shiina, Sakurako- #11 Kugimiya, Modoka**

**#10 Karakuri, Chachamaru- #26 McDowell, Evangeline- #19 Lingshen, Chao**

"Sweet! Our lines kick ass again this year!" cheered Haruna as she sent a thumbs up to her line mates.

"Was there ever any doubt we'd stay together?" smirked Sakurako while Misa and Modoka gave each other high fives.

"I knew we'd be partners Setsuna!" said Makie with a smile while patting the raven haired girl on the back.

The room was still buzzing as the girls began to compare their lines and talk with their partners. While Makie was excitedly talking Ako beside her, Setsuna continued to look at the line list. There was something that caught her attention; it was the last forward line. While in class over the last week, the defenseman noticed that the girls listed were amongst the quietest and reserved of the team. They rarely spoke with anyone in class and threw off an air of mystery whenever Setsuna passed them. She began to wonder if they were like that with the team when they got together. The defenseman shrugged it off as she felt Makie nudge her arm, indicating that Coach Takahata was waiting for the team's attention again.

Takamichi cleared his throat as he flipped over to the next page, a serious look now coming over his features. "Now we get to the fun part...the new rules." He waited as the room became completely silent. "As I have just informed you, the school has decided to step in and add some of their own influence to their sports programs...as of right now, any student wishing to participate on schools teams must hold at least a C+ average in all courses..."

"What? But this is an elevator school!" shouted Ku. "We pass through to university no matter what our grades are!"

Takamichi ran his hand through his short hair with a sigh. "I understand, but the school feels that your academics should reflect the same success as your activities. If you don't at least get that mark on your tests or exams, they will remove you from the team..."

Most of the team groaned as the final nail was hammered hard into the theoretical coffin. The one who was the most affected by this news was Asuna. She sat there in silence, eyes closed with the back of her head lightly taping off of the wall behind her. The captain never concerned herself with grades before and usually spent her time hanging out with her friends, partying, or practicing her shot. Her grades definitely reflected her lack of effort, as most of her marks where either a C- or lower. She groaned to herself as she thought about the predicament she was now in. As the captain, Asuna was supposed to represent the team and be a role model. If she was to get kicked off, not only would it look bad for herself, but it would also make the rest of the girls look bad. She didn't know what she was going to do in order to bring her grades up, but she knew that she was going to have to try something.

_Gods, it's like karma for putting Sakurazaki through initiation or something...what a stupid rule...whatever, I'll just see if I can get a tutor or something..._

She opened her eyes slowly and realized that some of the more academically successful girls were eyeing her from where they sat. Asuna shook it off, knowing that they were concerned for her as well as some of the others. It would be their last year playing together on this high school team and they would be heartbroken if their team was broken up because of this new rule. The captain felt her stomach turn as their thoughts quickly reached her. Thinking quickly, she sent them all a thumbs up of confidence in an attempt to show them that they shouldn't worry. They would get through this, and Asuna would figure something out.

"Anyway, now on to the rules Negi and I have come up with." continued Takamichi. "Since this is our last year together, I want us all to have the best season and post season we can. Therefore, we have decided that you girls will have a mandatory workout schedule that you will have to fill out and bring to Negi after every Friday morning practice. We will be fit and ready for whatever these teams through at us, and we will definitely be ready for nationals this year..."

Setsuna's ears perked up as she took in Takamichi's new rule. She became oddly excited when the thought of required training from this team ran through her. "Finally..." she whispered to herself.

"What was that Setsuna?" asked the coach, who had noticed a change in her mood.

Setsuna gulped and slightly blushed from embarrassment by being put on the spot; she quickly calmed herself and became cool when she answered. "Oh...it was nothing sir. I was just thinking that the workout schedule was a good idea. My old team had the same rule and it seemed to be successful..." She quickly stopped there before she went too far and let slip her dismal.

Takamichi smiled and ignored an obvious eye roll from Asuna. "Good! Well, I hope that if any of your team mates need help working out a set routine, they can come to you for advice!" He sent the raven haired girl a smile and thumbs up.

Setsuna smiled awkwardly and scratched her head as she slowly tried to fade back into the wall. She could almost feel her captain's eyes burning into her with Takamichi's last comment. This wasn't what the defenseman was looking for, especially when she was just being accepted to the team; she didn't want to be seen as a suck up or big shot. Her thoughts became calm however, when she noticed that Konoka was looking in her direction with her head tilted and a smile bouncing off of her. Setsuna sent her a nod of thanks, appreciating that the goalie didn't have the same mind set as her red headed roommate.

The rest of the meeting went by quickly as both Negi and Takamichi continued on with their ideas and goals for the year. Apparently, the girls were now expected to wear dress clothes to and from games instead of their school uniforms to show that they, in Negi's words, meant business and were to be taken seriously. The girls also rolled their eyes and coughed awkwardly when Takamchi mentioned that there was to be no alcohol consumption during the season. Yuna laughed awkwardly and Kazumi started whistling and looking at the ceiling when the coach said that there was nothing to worry about when it came to that anyway, as his girls were all underage and "knew better". Finally after the coaches had their say and all questions were answered, the girls were dismissed. Makie stood up and asked Setsuna if she wanted to head over to the meal hall with her, Ako, and Sayo to grab diner, but the defenseman politely refused remembering that Konoka had wanted to speak with her once the meeting was over. With a playful salute to her partner, Makie left Setsuna to join the others who were already heading out the door. When Setsuna pushed herself up from the bench, she quickly realized that it was only the goalie and herself left alone in this room. She breathed deep and relaxed as she told herself to stay strong. The defenseman was not going to give in to any advances, if any were to be given, until she knew Konoka's true intentions.

Konoka quickly made her way over to the raven haired girl with a smile. She had been thinking about Setsuna all day and was extremely happy that she had agreed to meet with her. The goalie had decided since the initiation that she would do whatever it took to get closer to Setsuna, as she was completely wrapped up with her now. The idea she was about to propose to the defenseman came to her after she had witnessed Setsuna leaving bright and early in the morning or later at night for her training. This was how she was going to spend quality alone time with her, and this was how she was going to show the defenseman that she was a serious person and more than just a pretty face who got around.

"That was quite the meeting wasn't it?" asked Konoka as she came to a stop a few feet in front of Setsuna. "I think Asuna almost died there when Takahata brought up the grades thing. Poor kid..."

Setsuna bowed her head slightly and reached for the back of her neck. "Yeah, well she's not the only one that has to worry...my math grades usually aren't something to be happy about."

Konoka rolled her eyes playfully as she took in the saddened features of the girl in front of her. Then another idea popped into her head. "Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine Setsuna. Besides, I rock at math so I could help you if you ever needed it..."

"That...that would be great Konoka." replied the defenseman with a slightly reserved tone. She wasn't sure if Konoka actually wanted to help, or was just doing this to get into her pants. With the innocent look she received from the goalie when her head popped back up, Setsuna had decided that the proposal was actually genuine.

"Awesome." smiled Konoka, not noticing the hesitation in the raven haired girl's voice. "Anyway, what I actually wanted to talk with you about now seems to have been brought up at the meeting as well. I always see you going for runs or heading over to the gym...so I was wondering if maybe...you and I could be workout buddies? I'm pretty good at the gym on my own, but I find it really boring without someone else. Plus Asuna always gets into her own mindset if I go with her and I feel all lonely..."

Setsuna blinked in surprise; this definitely wasn't what she had been expecting from Konoka when she asked to speak with her. After thinking about it for a few seconds, Setsuna's face light up with determination as she thought about having the goalie joining her workouts. "Yeah, I mean...it's fine with me if you want to join. I'll warn you now though that I get pretty into training and I'll probably be pushing you...I'm sorry in advance..."

Konoka laughed. "No it's fine...I'll probably need some pushing anyway. Hey, did you want to head to the gym now for a bit before dinner? May as well start as soon as possible yeah?"

"I've got some energy to spare. We'll head up now, just let me grab my gym clothes from my gear bag and check on my stick...I think I need to replace the tape on i-..." Setsuna's words were cut short when she looked over to the designated stick area and noticed that all the team's sticks were gone. Panicking, Setsuna ran over hoping her eyes were playing a mean trick on her; she was wrong, they weren't. "Wha-what the hell happened to Yunagi? I left him here this morning! Gah!"

"...what uh...what's a Yunagi?" asked Konoka, hiding a giggle from the now freaking out defenseman.

"He's my stick...my lucky stick..." began Setsuna as she continued to look around the dressing room. "He's a Bauer composite right hand stick with the perfect flex. I've had him since the first year of junior high and it's like he's a part of me! Where the hell did he go?" Setsuna was fuming, yet she still tried to keep her composure.

Konoka continued to giggle at the thought of Setsuna's relationship with the stick. She was thinking that it was oddly cute for a tough and cool looking girl like the defenseman to have such an attachment to an inanimate object. "I think that the team manager may have collected them up for maintenance. He likes to make sure we're prepared for everything...keeps telling himself it's a manly job to look after so many ladies..."

Setsuna stood there, blinking at the goalie as she tried to comprehend the fact that some man now currently had his grimy hands on her beloved partner. Slowly she snapped out of it. "Some...man...has my stick? Some man..."

Konoka rolled her eyes and came over to the confused yet irritated looking defenseman. "It's not some man Setsuna...I mean he's only about a year or so older than Negi. His name's Kotaro, he started out as our stick boy about two years ago when he was forced into doing volunteer work after being busted for starting some on campus fight club...weird eh? Anyway, he was only supposed to do it for a year but then he ended up liking it. Now he manages the team as well as takes care of our sticks, water, jerseys...even learned how to sharpen skates. He's pretty proud of himself..."

"I see..."sighed Setsuna as she began to calm down. She was relieved that it was a young kid who had Yunagi rather than some sketchy man. "...I guess that's ok then...as long as Yunagi is being taken care of..."

Konoka patted the raven haired girl on the back with a smile. "Don't worry about it...Yunagi is in very good hands. Anyway let's get to the gym, I'm pumped to get started!"

Setsuna went back over to her gear bag and grabbed a pair of black Under Armour shorts, a matching black sleeveless shirt and her favourite pair of trainers before heading out the door with Konoka. She was still a little unnerved that someone was touching her stick, but was trying to brush it off as she glanced at the goalie beside her. The defenseman was happy to be helping her out, and was looking forward to spending time with her. Hopefully, things would work out between them and maybe, maybe Konoka's history of hook ups will end with her.

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Setsuna gently pulled out her hair tie and let her raven hair fall loosely around her shoulders. She shook it out to allow her head to feel relived from being up all day before reaching down to the bottom of her shirt to pull it over her head. She bunched up her t-shirt with her school uniform and threw it into her locker as she reached down to the bench behind her for her shirt. The defenseman now started to remove her school skirt and shorts she wore under it before yanking on the black basketball shorts and then reached up to throw her hair back into its' signature side pony. Finally, Setsuna threw on her favourite sneakers and bent down to tie them. She was nearly done when she heard Konoka returning from a mirror in the bathroom to tie her hair back. Looking up to make fun of her for taking so long, Setsuna almost lost balance as she took in the sight in front of her.

_Whoa...are...are those really gym clothes?..._

Konoka had changed quickly and left for the bathroom area before Setsuna had a chance to look at her. Right now, the goalie was wearing short spandex Under Armour shorts that stopped about halfway down her thigh and a tight fitting red Warriors sports bra. Setsuna blinked for a moment as she took in Konoka's flawless and curvy body before clearing her throat and returning back to tying her sneakers. Konoka on the other hand, smiled to herself as she noticed the defenseman's ear poke out from beneath her hair, bright red. At least she knew Setsuna was somewhat attracted to her, that was obvious. The goalie went back over to her lower locker to grab her sneakers. She bent down to reach in the back to retrieve them when she heard the bang of a locker door being quickly slammed shut. When she turned around, she saw that Setsuna was leaning against her locker, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Ready to go?" asked Konoka, hiding a smile.

"Yeah...yeah I'm good..." Setsuna was about to head for the gym door when realized her room key was still sitting on the bench. Not wanting to look like she got distracted from staring at Konoka's butt and then going into a panic when the goalie looked like she was going to turn around, Setsuna picked it up and jammed it into her pocket. "Alright, let's go!"

With an awkward pump of her fist into the air, Setsuna lead the still quietly giggling Konoka out to the large workout facility. Now Setsuna would finally be able to concentrate on working out with Konoka because she was in her element. It would just be the two of them, no distractions, together. The last thought was quickly interrupted when a small group of girls made their way up to Konoka, completely ignoring the fact that the defenseman was even there as they gathered around the goaltender.

"Hey Konoka, glad to see you back in the gym..." began one girl with short black hair who Setsuna had recognized to be from another sixth year class. "I mean, not that you need it or anything..."

Konoka fidgeted a little and tried to hide her uncomfortable feeling as she glanced behind the girls and saw Setsuna's surprised face. She desperately needed to get out of this situation. "...Thanks...anyway I really need to get started on my workout...coach says it's mandatory now so..."

Another one of the girls spoke up. "Takahata is forcing you to strain yourself when you obviously don't need too? If you want, I could go talk to him for you..."

"Or I could help you with your training!" added another girl quickly.

"No, that's alright...I think I'm going to be fi-..." started Konoka as she tried to swiftly move away from the group.

"Oh come on Konoka...it's really no problem. I'm pretty good with weights and...I know my way around..." interrupted the same girl as she grabbed Konoka's arm.

Before the goalie had any time to react, Setsuna slipped in through the group and carefully removed the offending girls hand from Konoka's arm. She then stepped up between the two and looked the girl in the eye with an intimidating, yet cool and dark stare. The group of girls all seemed to back down when they saw how protective the raven haired girl in front of them was. Setsuna continued to stare down the grabby girl as she began to speak.

"Konoka won't be needing any sort of help from you, as I am more than qualified to help with her training." she watched as the girl tried to puff herself up to match her intimidation level, but quickly deflated when she noticed Setsuna wasn't backing down. The defenseman smirked as she saw the girl back down. "Now, If you'll excuse us...we've got some serious work to do and don't have any more time for messing around..."

With that, Setsuna gently took Konoka by the hand and lead her away from the stunned group of girls. Konoka was also in shock at how direct and serious the defenseman had been. She couldn't help but look at her protector in awe and a new found feeling of appreciation. She also couldn't help but feel completely turned on from watching Setsuna basically man handle the group without as much as a second thought. The goalie began to heat up as she realized that Setsuna was holding her hand and leading her around. Her face was even beginning to redden as her thoughts became more intimate and detailed. After a few moments, she realized that they had stopped walking and that Setsuna was now talking to her, explaining what they were going to do first. Konoka quickly brought her attention back just as Setsuna was finishing her explanation.

"...and we'll do all that after we finish the warm up on the treadmills, alright?" asked the defenseman.

Konoka nodded quickly and decided that she was going to have to pay extra attention to what happened from here on out in order to cover up her lack of attention. "Yeah, sounds good..."

The two grabbed a pair of treadmills that were right next to each other and hoped on to start their warm up. The whole time they were running, Setsuna found it extremely difficult to not just stop and stare at how the goalie was jogging beside her. Despite the nice fast pace Konoka was going, to Setsuna it was like she was running in slow motion. She shook her head and continued to warm up as she tried to get the image of Konoka's bouncing chest out of her head. After warming up, the pair began to stretch and then made their way to the weight room. They worked on everything from their arms to their legs and back up again, making sure to get everything possible out of their workout. By the time they had finished and made their way back to an empty mat to stretch out on, both girls were drenched with sweat. Konoka sat down and started to work out her legs when she noticed the defenseman lift up the bottom of her shirt to dry off her face, exposing her tight and toned stomach. The goalie's mind once again began to race away from her with thoughts about Setsuna.

"That was good time Konoka. I'm glad you asked me to help you out." said Setsuna as she gently let the shirt fall back over her stomach.

Konoka blinked back into existence. "Hmmm? Oh yeah...no problem. I had a good time too..." she swiftly got up from her spot on the ground and made her way over to Setsuna. She grabbed her hand and started to move towards the change room. "Let's hurry up and shower so we can get out of here..."

Setsuna quickly hid a blush when she pictured a naked Konoka with water streaming down her from the shower head. She shook her head, hoping to get rid of the image before it had a chance to settle. Before she even realised it, the defenseman found herself standing under a shower facing the wall while Konoka was doing the same beside her. It was taking everything she possibly had in her to keep her eyes from wondering over to the goalie's body. To distract herself, the defenseman attempted to sing in her head, failing as the only song that came to mind was "Pour Some Sugar On me" by Def Leopard. She turned her head and coughed to hide sharp surprised intake of breath and a blush as the music in her head and the image of Konoka showering made it feel like she was in the middle of some hot fantasy. As soon as Setsuna finished washing her hair, she basically ran out of the shower and threw on her clothes in an attempt to clear her head.

Once Konoka was finished getting dressed, the two girls made their way back to the dorms after stopping to have a quick dinner at the meal hall. They jugged up the stairs and made their way down the hallway to their rooms. It was late now, and Setsuna was looking forward to grabbing her pillow and falling into a deep sleep. She waved goodbye to Konoka before reaching down into her pocket to retrieve her key. The defenseman became extremely confused when her hand came back out empty. Then she realized that she had put the key into her shorts pocket at the gym. She reached into her bag and rummaged around for the shorts, instantly running her hand into the pocket for her key. Panic now struck her as she felt around both pockets and found nothing.

_Damn it! It must have fallen out of my pocket during our workout...shit what am I going to do now? The gym's closed and it's too late for anyone to be downstairs at the management desk... crap..._

Setsuna took a deep breath and slowly began to make her way to Konoka and Asuna's room. She stood there with her head down as she knocked on the door. Much to her dislike, the girl who answered the door was not Konoka but Asuna. Her captain took one look at her and rolled her eyes as she called Konoka over to the door. Within seconds, the goalie bounded over and smiled at the two of them.

"Konoka...I've apparently lost my room key at the gym and now I'm locked out..." she looked pleadingly at the chocolate haired goddess in front of her.

Konoka giggled and Asuna stood there, stone faced as she quickly understood what the goalie was about to let happen. "I'll go grab an extra blanket for the couch..." said the red headed captain before quickly removing herself from the situation.

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Setsuna had been lying awake on the couch for at least two hours, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't help but feel restless laying here, in nothing but her boxer shorts and sports bra in Konoka's dorm room. Only a few feet away from where she was laying was Asuna and Konoka's bunk beds, she could even see the gentle rise and fall of the goalie's body from under the blankets as she breathed while fast asleep. She had resorted to looking out the window across from her current position in order to distract herself. It had begun to rain a few minutes ago, and usually the sound of it falling along with the peaceful way the drops fell down the window were enough to send the defenseman into the deepest of sleeps; right now however, it was doing nothing. Finally, Setsuna decided that she needed to burn off some extra energy, so she slowly and quietly pulled on her under shorts and the t-shirt she wore under her uniform before carefully opening up the door and slipping out. The only thing that would tire her out now would be a good run in the rain.

A short time later, Konoka was stirred awake as she heard the door handle to her room slowly turn. With a quick glance, she noticed that Setsuna was no longer on the couch and that it must be her returning from the bathroom or something. Instead of getting up to greet her back, Konoka laid there perfectly quiet, and pretended to be asleep just as Setsuna entered the room. The goalie squinted her eyes slightly open as she watched the raven haired girl walk over to the couch. Her heart began to beat faster as she realized that Setsuna was dripping wet and was now reaching down to remove her wet clothes.

She watched, feeling slightly creepy when she realized that she was invading Setsuna's supposed privacy. She mentally shrugged it off and continued her bout of voyeurism. The defenseman had now removed her wet shirt and was using it to shake out as much rain as possible from her hair. The little amount of light from the moon peeking out from behind some rain clouds streamed into the room and just barely light up Setsuna's body. She had now taken off her shorts and was still using the semi wet t-shirt to dry off any escaping droplets from her hair on her body. Konoka quietly pinched her arm to make sure that she wasn't actually dreaming right now and became extremely hot when she realized that she wasn't. She continued to watch as Setsuna stretched out her powerful looking arms before rolling her shoulders and making her way back to the couch. With one swift movement, the defenseman was back under the blanket that Asuna had reluctantly provided for her.

Konoka still couldn't believe that she had actually just seen Setsuna the way she had. She was slightly put off when the defenseman hide herself away, and was also extremely tempted to quietly get out of he own bed and join her on the couch for a little fun time. Just as she found herself reaching for the blanket to pull it off herself, Konoka froze.

_No, I'm not going to do this...this is not how I want to get Setsuna to like me. I'm not just going to pounce on her like a piece of meat...she's my protector and deserves better than that. I'll play fair..._

With that Konoka gently turned over and brought her attention away from Setsuna. She quietly yawned and scratched at her nose before closing her eyes and quickly fell back to sleep, thoughts of Setsuna still slowly bouncing around in her subconscious.


	5. First Game, Fight Night

**And now for part five! I'm rolling right along with my ideas, so writing is becoming a lot easier now that I have a set goal for how I want this story to go.**

**Hope you all enjoy it and please review!**

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**First Game, Fight Night...**

"Let's pick it up girls! We need to work hard today in order for a win tomorrow night!" shouted Takamichi as the forwards picked up their speed during their suicide drill. As they raced across the far goal line, he blew his whistle signalling for the defence and the goalie to start from the other end. "We need to be ready for whatever comes. Let's show some hustle."

Negi looked up to his coaching partner with a questioning expression. "Takamichi...aren't they playing last year's bottom ranked team? Is it really necessary to push them like this when they shouldn't have any trouble tomorrow?"

Takamichi gave him a sideways glance and playfully rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter Negi, It's the principle...it's to show the girls that they can't take anything too lightly...sort of like a life lesson..."

Negi laughed and kicked at the ice. "Teaching all the time are we Takamichi? Just as one should expect from an old timer like yourself..."

"That was a cheap shot kid..." laughed Takamichi as he lightly punched Negi's arm. "But I guess I'll let it slide for now..."

The two continued laughing as coach Takahata blew the whistle for the girls to take a few hard laps before ending the practice for the morning. Despite being pushed through a few rounds of suicides as well as passing and two-on-one drills, the girls were still able to fly around the ice at their regular game time speed. Finally after six long laps, Takamichi blew his whistle and dismissed the girls from the ice. They quickly made their way to the dressing room and watched as Haruna, Sayo, and Yuna collapsed in a heap in the center of the room.

"Oh gods...I'm gonna be sick!" breathed Haruna as she held her stomach in pain from all the skating.

"I'm going to sleep for days..." began Yuna. "Someone let Negi know that I'm skipping class cause he and Coach T are death dealers..."

"I'm not going to make it...I think I'm going to die!" yelled Sayo as she dramatically flung her arm over her eyes and proceeded to pretend she was dead.

Yuna sat up and playfully nudged the fallen defenseman. "See! Death dealers, the two of them! Now we're doomed to be haunted by Sayo's vengeful ghost for eternity!"

The whole team burst out laughing as they watched Sayo quickly pop up with a loud Boo, actually causing Yuna and Haruna to jump. Even Setsuna was laughing as she watched a mini fight break out between the three girls on the floor when Yuna and Haruna declared a revenge match. The defenseman leaned back against the wall and felt her body begin to relax as her heart rate started to slow down to a normal pace. That morning's practice was definitely the hardest one she'd had in a very long time. She looked around the room and noticed that all of her team mate's faces were glowing a healthy red and all of them were sporting different, but high, levels of excitement on their features. Tomorrow night was their first game of the season, and Setsuna couldn't wait to finally hit the ice with the sounds of a crowd cheering them on.

After getting undressed, showered, and changed, Setsuna made her way back to her gear bag to examine her things. During the last few laps, the defenseman had noticed that her skates were feeling a little dull. She had decided that maybe now was a good time to take them to the team manager, Kotaro, for a good run through the sharpener. She picked up her skates and made a move for the door while the rest of the team was still putting their clothes on. Setsuna quickly made her way down the quiet hallway, trying hard to find the team maintenance room. It was hard to spot and she definitely would have missed it if she wasn't paying attention, but finally she came to a stop in front of an open door. To her surprise, there was music blaring from inside as she watched a mess of spiky black hair bob in time with the beat from behind a sharpening machine. The defenseman laughed as she listened to a few out of tune bars come from the young boy behind it.

"...In touch with the ground, I'm on the hunt I'm after you...Scent and a sound, I'm lost and I'm found...And I'm hungry like the wolf..." belted out Kotaro, completely unaware he was being watched from the doorway. He began to stand up straight and continued to sing. "...Strut on a line, It's discord and rhyme...I howl an-GAH!" He nearly had a heart attack when he caught sight of the raven haired girl standing a few feet away from him, laughing to herself.

Setsuna stopped laughing and began to apologize. "Sorry, I didn't realise you were having a party in here..." she tried hard to keep herself from being rude, but her mouth betrayed her as it allowed the laughter to escape.

Kotaro ran his hand through his hair in an attempt to look cool and like he wasn't fazed at all by the new girl's sudden presence. "No, it's cool...just having a good time is all...by the way, who are you? Only Warrior hockey team members are allowed back here...you lost or something?"

"No, I'm actually part of the team. I'm the new defenseman..." began Setsuna as she watched Kotaro's eyes squint in question. "Name's Setsuna Sakurazaki..."

Kotaro grinned. "So Taka found himself a new girl eh? Bout time, only so long you can go without a full team." He laughed to himself as he made his way over to the raven haired girl. "Come in for a skate hook up huh? No problem, toss 'em here and I'll make sure you'll be flyin' at tomorrow night's game."

Setsuna handed over her skates and watched as a huge smile spread across the tough looking kid's face. He brought the skates over to the machine and began to place one in the holding spot. Setsuna kept her eyes on it, completely interested in the sharpening process. "You mind if I watch? I always wanted to learn how it's done."

Kotaro looked up from lining up the skate and smirked. "Yeah, it's a free country...it's cool to do what you want in Casa Kotaro."

Setsuna laughed again at how completely serious the kid was trying to sound as he started up the machine. The defenseman noticed that Kotaro took his job very seriously, and paid extra special attention to making sure her skates were in top condition. She watched as his face twisted into different forms of concentration with each passing of the sharpening blade over the steel of the skate. Setsuna could tell that this was almost like an art form to the spiky haired kid in front of her, and was satisfied that this was the type of kid who had handled Yunagi a few days earlier. It wasn't long before Kotaro had shut off the sharpener for good and blew on the blades before handing them back over to her. Setsuna looked at him, puzzled as to why he blew on the skates.

"It's my signature technique I add to every pair of skates I sharpen." he said proudly. "It's good luck...the only time the girls ever lost was when Asuna got her skates done at the other team's rink out of desperation...my fault I guess. No matter though, this year no one leaves for away games or tournies without seeing me first."

Setsuna smiled as she saw determination light up the kid's face. "Well, thanks for fixing me up. I hope your technique works for me tomorrow."

"You bet your friggin side pony it will! And don't be afraid to come to me for anything you need!" he called after her as she made her way back to the room. Kotaro quickly lunged for the radio and cranked it up again before singing at the top of his lungs once more.

The defenseman made her way back to the room to drop off her skates and grab her school bag before she needed to head to class. She couldn't help but let her excitement get the best of her over the game, and allowed herself to bounce around a little down the empty hallway. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks as she heard voices coming from around the corner. She didn't really know why she did it, but she dove behind few garbage cans and hid from whoever was coming.

"I'm just saying that it'll be good to get on the ice with a full team this year." said Kazumi as she placed her arms behind her head. "You know, less strain for our D to deal with..."

Asuna rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I don't get why everyone's so ok with a new girl joining our team...especially when it's our last year. What if she ruins what we got going on here Kazumi? I mean, we don't even know her..."

Kazumi sighed as she tried to roll along with what her captain and best friend was saying. "It's not like Sakurazaki is a murderer or something Asuna...geeze." she watched as the red head turned her head in frustration away from her. "Honestly, I think you're just pissed off that Konoka is basically falling all over her...I mean, she is the first girl since you who she's actually grown a serious interest in..."

Asuna grumbled under her breath. "Whatever Kazumi...I bet Sakurazaki is just another girl for her to chase..." she tried to hide her lie and hurt from her line mate, but failed horribly.

"See? I knew it was more than just that try out thing getting to you." She replied as she patted Asuna on the shoulder. "You know that you gotta get over it right? She's part of the team and Konoka really seems to be into her. Do you really wanna mess with your best friends feelings like that? Cut the new girl some slack bud, accept that it is what it is..."

Asuna stopped for a moment and looked at her friend. "There's just something I don't trust about her alright? Until she proves to me that she's legit, I'm going to keep being hesitant..."

Setsuna watched in silence as Kazumi sighed deeply and shrugged the red head off. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. She knew that something was up with Asuna as soon as tryouts were over and had a feeling that it was more than just her winning the drill. This was one of the things that scared her off from giving into Konoka...she didn't want to cause any issues in team dynamic. As she made her way back to the dressing room, Setsuna kept thinking about her captains words and decided that until she made peace with the red head, she wouldn't do anything with Konoka. She was determined to make things right with the team, no matter what it took; she wouldn't let her feelings do her in like last time. Reaching her bag, Setsuna placed her skates inside before grabbing her school things and quickly headed out the door.

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"Gooooooooood evening hockey fans, and welcome to the Mahora Warrior's game opener! I'm Fuka." yelled the eldest twin from class 6-A into a microphone.

"And I'm Fumika!" added the younger twin from next to her.

"We'll be your commentators, not only for this game, but for every action packed game this season!" cheered Fuka. She then gave a sly look to her shier sister. "So don't you kids worry 'cause the sexy sisters aren't going anywhere!"

There was a bang as the door to the commentator booth flew open and both sets of the twin's eyes grew large in surprise. Fuka stared up at the ceiling and whistled innocently while Fumika covered half her head behind her arm and started playing with a pen. In the door frame stood a very irritated and angry looking Professor Nitta, who stared down the troublesome duo with a scary looking vein pulsating in his forehead.

"Girls...what did I tell you about fooling around in the booth?" he said through gritted teeth. The girls continued to look away from him. "Keep it clean and serious or you're done and I'll make you sit seiza style on the cold rink floor until your knees freeze off...do I make myself clear?"

Both sisters jumped and saluted. "Sir yes sir!"

Down on the ice surface, the Warriors were finishing up their ten minute warm up before the start of the game. Setsuna had received a nice pass from Mana as they skated around and decided to go in for one last warm up shot on Konoka before they had to pick up the pucks. Konoka caught the puck easily in her trapper and received a nod and salute from the defenseman before they both made their way over to their bench. After some of the girls finished picking up the pucks, they joined their team along the boards. Coach Takahata and Negi were standing on top of the bench behind the boards, looking down on the excited yet serious team standing in front of them. Takamichi cleared his throat and gave a nod to Negi before he began to speak.

"Alright girls...first game of the year, let's go out there and show them how it's done, alright?" he finished with his voice raised.

"Right!" yelled all the girls at once in response.

"Alright bring it in girls..." called Asuna.

The girls all squeezed in tight together, crouching down with an arm around the team mate next to them. On Asuna's count of three, they began their pump up cheer. "Red and Black in your sight...best believe you lose this fight! Warriors...WHOOORAH!"

There was a loud cheer from the crowd as the girls finished their chant and broke away from the huddle. Asuna's forward line made their way to their places at center ice while Setsuna and Makie made a quick skate down to the net with Konoka. The goalie threw her water bottle on top of her net and turned around just in time to catch her defensemen standing at the top of the goal crease, waiting for her.

"You ready Konoka?" smiled Makie as she gave a thumbs up to the goalie.

"As always Makie!" she punched the pink haired girl in the arm before she skated away. Now it was just her and Setsuna, and she watched a look of excited nervousness wash over her. "How about you Setsuna...are you good to go?"

Setsuna breathed in deeply to calm herself before smiling at Konoka. "Definitely...I hope you don't get to bored down here, since I'm not gonna let anyone get by..."

Konoka rolled her eyes playfully. "Awwwwww come on Setsuna...you can't have all the fun..."

There was something about the look on the goalie's face as well as the tone she used with that last bit that made Setsuna feel nervous as her stomach did a quick flip. Shaking her head quickly, she tapped Konoka on her goalie pad with Yunagi and gave a little salute. "Sorry miss...It's my job as a defenseman to protect the goalie...I mean, what kind of team mate would I be if I sat back and watched them come at you? I'll see you at the end of the period..."

Konoka tapped Setsuna's protected shin in response before she turned and skated away. She had gotten that flutter of excitement rushing through her body again at the mere mention of Setsuna's promise of protection. A blush was forming as she watched the new defenseman line up. She didn't understand how someone could be so calm around her like this girl was. Usually, any of the girls she had some interest in acted all weird or nervous around her. Setsuna however, seemed to have a cool head on her shoulders; at least that's what Konoka thought. The goalie had noticed that the defenseman showed some interest in her, based on the odd blush she saw or feeling she got when they were hanging out together. It was odd however, that Setsuna hadn't made a move yet. She sighed as she crouched down and leaned on her stick; it had only been a few weeks that they'd known each other, she could blame it on that. Konoka shook her head and pushed out a little farther from her net. This was something she would have to think about later; it was now game time, and she needed to focus.

"And now we're just about ready for the puck to drop!" boomed Fumika's voice over the P.A system.

"By the looks of it, we're in for one hell of a game!" added Fuka. "Especially with the top line featuring the captain, Asuna Kagurazaka, starting us off!"

There was a loud cheer as the crowd grew excited at the mere mention of the captain's name. Asuna smirked to herself as she skated a quick circle around the center to tap Yuna and Kazumi with her stick for good luck. Then she slowly crouched down and glided easily in for the much anticipated face off. Pulling in, the red head stared down the opposing center forward in front of her with a serious expression. Time seemed to stop as the referee crouched forward and let the puck fall from his hand. In an instant, the game began.

"And Kagurazaka wins the faceoff, sending the puck back to defenseman Sasaki." began Fumika. "Sasaki takes control expertly and sends a bank pass off the boards to Akashi."

"The other team's forwards are closing in, but Akashi taps it off the boards and easily makes her way around them." added Fuka. "Looks like she's going in for the delay..."

Yuna carried the puck over the opposing team's blue line and handled it down just shy of the corner before curling towards the boards, away from the defenseman and coming to a stop with her head up. She quickly looked around for her next move, when she spotted Kazumi lined up behind the net. She sent a nice hard pass to her waiting line mate before making a b-line for the net. Kazumi took the pass and made her way to wrap around to the front, taping it back to the waiting Yuna. With a quick flash of her stick, the puck made contact, dead center, before coming in hard on the net.

"OOOOO, so close!" yelled Fuka.

"I thought that was in for sure!" added Fumika.

The puck rebounded off of the tip of the goalie's blocker and made its' way over to the corner. Asuna was on it faster than the other team had time to react; now it was her turn. The captain put her head on a swivel as she made her way up to the side of the boards. She quickly glanced at the clock and noticed that her line had been one for almost forty-five seconds now and it was about time for a change. She wasn't going to get off though until she made something happen. Quickly, she spotted Makie waiting at the blue line a few feet away from her. She passed her the puck and sped off for the center of the ice in front of the net. Makie took the pass and was instantly set upon by the other team's forward. She saw her partner skate to the center of the line and call for the puck; the pink haired girl sent it straight over. In one swift movement, Setsuna raised her stick to knee level before sending it crashing down on the puck.

"Sakurazaki scores!" screamed both twins as the rest of the building erupted in loud cheers.

Makie, Yuna, and Kazumi were on Setsuna in an instant with congratulatory high fives and head rubs. The defenseman happily accepted their praise before heading back to the bench for a line change. Asuna on the other hand, slowly skated away from the celebration group and made her way to the bench. She couldn't believe that the first goal of the game went to the new girl, especially when she was wide open and in perfect position. She huffed in irritation as she made her way through the open door while Akira's line hoped the boards to make their way onto the ice.

_I'm not going to be shown up again by that kid...just wait until I get back out there, next goal is mine..._

The next two lines flew out and basically man-handled the other team with their perfect passes and positioning. If it wasn't for some lucky breaks from the goalie or desperation dives from the defenseman, they would have been at least up three more goals by now. It wasn't until the last forward line hoped over the boards that Setsuna's attention suddenly peaked. She quickly shot up from her spot on the bench and leaned over to watch as they lined up after the other team had an offside call.

"What's up Setsuna?" asked Makie as she watched her partner become extremely focused on the faceoff about to take place.

Setsuna's eye twitched as she took in the question. "I was just wondering...what's with Evangeline, Chachamaru, and Chao. They seem pretty quiet whenever I see them. I almost think that they aren't the hockey types, you know?"

Makie looked at her before bursting out into laughter along with Ku, Misora, Ako, and Sayo. Setsuna quickly turned her head in confusion as Makie attempted to calm herself. "Yeah, they seem like that at first...don't they? You know what...it's probably easier for you to just watch rather than have me explain them to you..."

Setsuna turned her head back around to watch, still extremely confused as to what her partner meant. "What does she mean just watch?"

Then, it all suddenly became apparent as the raven haired defenseman took in the sight of the puck being dropped. In one swift movement, Evangeline's arm came crashing down and took out the other center before she had a chance to react. Evangeline then hopped over the fallen player as Chao quickly picked the puck up. Chachamaru was already in front of her line mates, taking out anyone who crossed her path. Setsuna just stood there, shock on her face as the once idea of quiet and shy girls quickly came crashing down. All she could do was turn back around and listen as her defence mates laughed at her reaction.

"We call that T.O.T time..." began Makie between some giggles. "Stands for Takin' Out the Trash time...Evangeline's line is our enforcing line. They're the scariest on our team..."

Setsuna continued to blink as she caught sight of Chao crouching down gracefully to take out yet another player after passing the puck off to Chachamaru. "...oh gods..."

Just then Evangeline came crashing down the center of the other team's end, making a b-line for the net. The look on the goalie's face was one of pure horror as she took in the evil smirk on the blonde haired center's face. Before the goalie could react, a puck came flying hard from just off to the right and Evangeline had managed to get her stick on it at the last second, directing it straight into the net.

"HA! What you think about that dumbass!" yelled the center in celebration to the goalie as she skated away to celebrate with her team. "May as well pack it up and head home...no room for losers like you lot out here!"

"What a great goal from T.O.T!" shouted Fuka in celebration into the mic as she gave a high five to her sister. "Looks like we already know how this one's gonna go eh?" There was cheering as a loud chant of T.O.T began to resonate through the crowd.

The first period went by much the same as the Warriors continued to pour on their powerful talent. Another quick two goals were added to their score when Mana as well as Akira popped the puck in. The girls began to relax as they gathered around the bench for an in between period talk. Negi and Takamichi were taking turns going over last period's action, being sure to point out the positives and a few negatives about their play. Setsuna quietly glided over to Konoka, who looked a little out of it.

"Bored?" asked the defenseman in a whisper. "You haven't gotten any action down there..."

Konoka was completely taken by surprise as she snapped back to reality. For some reason, Setsuna's last sentence made the goalie smile awkwardly as the dirtier part of her mind took over. "Huh...oh, yeah...I'm pretty lonely back there. I mean I know that they were last year's bottom ranked team but still...three shots all period?"

Setsuna laughed a little as she tapped Konoka's pad. "Just stick through this one, and I'm sure there'll be more interesting games to come..."

"Maybe you could just let onnnnnnnnne forward slip by?" asked the goalie with a pout and wide, brown eyes.

Setsuna rolled her own eyes playfully before taking a serious tone. "Sorry miss Konoka, but I can't allow that...defenseman's code and all..."

Konoka let out a playful huff just as the coaches were finishing up their talk with the team. The girls all let out a solid cheer before Evangeline's line took their spots on the ice. The game picked back up again, this time feeling as if the pace had quickened. Despite the obvious difference in skill between the two teams, the Warriors still knew how to keep a game exciting. There were more crashes and smashes from T.O.T, more skilled passes from Sakurako's line, and an impressive show from all of the defensemen. Even Asuna was starting to get back into it as she quickly popped in two more goals.

There was almost a chance for a goal from the other team when there was a bad change accidently made by Negi when he called the defence in too early. Setsuna had noticed that the forwards were coming down fast and took off over the boards in an instant. Just as Konoka was getting excited at the thought of stopping any kind of shot, the raven haired defenseman swooped in and stole the puck away. Setsuna poured on the gas as she took off down the ice; now she had caught the other team off guard during a change. She came in on an angle for her breakaway and expertly rolled her wrists around to handle the puck. The goalie came out to meet her, but it was all for a lost cause as the defenseman faked her out and pushed the puck into the open net as if it was as easy as breathing.

"Another amazing goal by the new defenseman Sakurazaki!" cheered Fumika.

"Geeze is there anything this hottie can't do?" asked Fuka into her mic. "I mean, she's not as attractive as coach Negi...but still, hot damn...looks and talent? Sign me up for the all girls team..."

BANG!

"One more time Fuka! I mean it, one more time and it's seiza!" yelled Professor Nitta.

The girls on the ice all seemed to laugh or giggle as a giant blush covered Setsuna and even Negi's face as Fuka's words rang throughout the building. Konoka had felt the first twinge of jealousy creep in as she sent an angry, goalie mask covered look up to the commentator's box. The only one visibly pissed off, was a fuming red head. Asuna hated more than anything when the spotlight was taken away from her; and now Fuka had gone and pushed the last button. She had had it with Setsuna already and was going to make sure she didn't get any more attention during this game. Soon, the end of period buzzer went off signalling for both teams to take a short break in the dressing room as the ice was resurfaced for the last period of play.

With freshly rested legs and a few extra minutes to relax and catch their breaths, the Warriors made their way back out to the ice for the last period. They were sure to take a few fast paced laps around their end before either heading to the bench or taking their places on the ice. Once again the puck was dropped and the game continued on, just where it had left off. Asuna hit the ice on her next shift, determined to keep Setsuna down. She watched as the play went on, waiting for any chance to come in and take the spot light back. It wasn't long before she saw her opportunity. Makie had control of the puck at the opposing team's blue line and was in the middle of passing it back and forth with Setsuna. Just as the raven haired defenseman gained control and was about to send it back, the captain struck.

"H-hey, what are doing Asuna?" yelled Setsuna as she watched the red head steal the puck away from her, causing the defenseman to lose balance and fall to the ground.

Asuna didn't even think twice as she attempted to speed down the center for a shot on goal. She was brought to a dead stop however, as the other team's biggest center knocked her to the ground and sped off with the puck. Asuna's eyes went wide as she saw the girl fly down the ice at a ridiculous speed. Setsuna was taken off guard as she was in the middle of hauling herself off the ice as fast as possible. She cursed as the center sped by her just as she managed to get to her knee. Within an instant, Setsuna popped up and took off after the girl, Makie hot on her heels. Konoka quickly set up and pushed out above her crease, waiting patiently for the center to make her move. The girl sped in closer getting ready to wind up for the shot, when suddenly her body was being moved away from scoring position at the last possible second by Setsuna as Makie swept in to remove the puck. The crowd cheered and Konoka let out a sigh of relief mixed with irritation as she watched the puck move back up the ice. The game went on, Coach Takamichi trying to stay calm on the bench as Asuna made her way off the ice.

Many words were exchanged between the two...

Finally the last buzzer went off, and the crowd cheered as the Warriors all made their way down to Konoka for congratulations on an easy scoreless game. Both teams then lined up at center to shake hands and congratulate each other on a good game. Asuna couldn't believe that her plan had backfired and that she was being held responsible by Takamichi for messing up and almost allowing an unnecessary goal. She was so pissed off at Setsuna for causing all of this by showing off. The red head couldn't wait for when they got to the dressing room, as she was going to give that no good defenseman a piece of her mind.

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The dressing room was buzzing with excited banter as the girls began to get undressed. The first game had gone better than any of them could have expected, especially on home ice with their peers watching them. There were a few murmurs of complaints over the fact that it was a Wednesday night, so throwing a celebration party was out of the question considering they had classes in the morning; however, Kazumi and Haruna began discussing possible plans for having some sort of party over the weekend and many of the other girls offered some ideas. Setsuna had just finished getting dressed after her shower and was busy drying her hair out with a towel before reapplying her hair tie. Suddenly, she felt a sharp nudge to her shoulder blade. Taking a deep breath, the defenseman turned around to find an extremely irritated looking red head.

"What's up Asuna..." began Setsuna calmly, confused as to why her captain was staring her down. "Did you need the mirror or something?"

"No I don't need the stupid mirror Sakurazaki." she began as she moved closer, raising her voice. "What I need is for you to get the hell off of this team..."

Setsuna stood there stunned as she tried to understand what was going on. It slowly dawned on her that Asuna was pissed off about Takamichi getting angry at her for her showboating, and was trying to blame her for what happened. She also began to move closer, keeping enough distance between them in the event it got ugly. "Whoa Asuna...calm down. Don't take out your issues on me. I didn't do anything out there today...whatever Coach Takamichi said to you on the bench was your own doing..."

"The shit it was Sakurazaki!" replied Asuna as she thrust a hand into the air. Some of the girls from out in the main dressing room looked up and the room became quiet as they took in the verbal exchange between the two. "I'm not the one who had to keep showing off out there!" Sayo and Makie got up quietly and snuck out the door to try and track down their coaches as they sensed something was about to go down.

Setsuna's eyes squinted and she let a small laugh of disbelief escape her. "Seriously? I'm the one who was showing off? I don't know what you consider to be showboating, but stealing the puck away from your own team to try and prove some jealo-..."

There was a scream from Konoka as she watched her roommate lunge for Setsuna, causing both to fall to the ground in a blur of limbs. The team all gathered around as the two girls broke out into a fight. Asuna was going for any punch she could land on the defenseman's body she could get, while Setsuna was trying to grab for her arms to stop the fighting. It was quickly turning into a grappling match as both girls continued to roll around on the ground. Asuna gave a wicked smirk as she felt her right hand free itself from Setsuna's grip. She quickly raised it in a balled up fist and was about to bring it down to the defenseman's face when she felt two sets of hands grab it from behind her. Konoka and Yuna had quickly descended upon their captain in an attempt to remove her from Setsuna. Still in a blind rage over Setsuna's jealousy accusation, Asuna pushed both of them back hard, sending her line mate and the goalie flying backwards into Mana and Ku. Setsuna's eyes grew wide with anger as she heard the sound of Konoka landing with a crash. Once again, the captain flung herself downwards as Setsuna made a move to cover her face before grabbing at the red head's wrists. The defenseman felt her lungs start to burn as Asuna's right fist made a hard hit to her side, causing her to lose air quickly. Setsuna coughed and shifted her weight to get herself on top of the captain to try and hold her down.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?" came the loud booming voice of Takamichi as he flung the dressing room door open.

All action in the room stopped dead and became awkwardly silent as the head coach, followed by Negi and Kotaro forced their way through the circle of girls to the pair still grappling each other on the floor. In one swift movement, he bent down and grabbed both of them by their upper arms and hauling them off the floor and out of the room. Setsuna found herself with her back against the hallway wall, clutching at her now bruised side with Asuna beside her. Takamichi was furiously pacing back and forth as Negi and Kotaro kept their eyes on the girls. Finally, the coach spoke.

"I can't believe that two girls...team mates no less in their final year of high school, are behaving like elementary school kids." He began. "I don't even know how to begin to explain to the two of you how disappointed I am...especially with you Asuna. You're supposed to be a captain, getting wrapped up in stupid fights like this is supposed to be above you. You're supposed to be setting an example for the rest of your team...what the hell were you thinking?"

Asuna stood there, completely stone faced and in silence. She really hadn't thought her decision all the way through and was now regretting it more than anything she had ever done before. Even now as she glanced over at Setsuna beside her, she felt a huge punch of guilt hit her hard in the stomach. She had known that the defenseman wasn't engaging in the fight and was only trying to protect herself as well as end it. Now the two of them were facing the wrath of Takamichi, and it was all her fault. She had let her pride win out yet again.

Takamichi sighed hard as he took in the sight of both girls in front of him. He knew that Setsuna probably didn't start the fight, much less wanted to be a part of it, but he couldn't just let he walk. He needed to make an example of them. "What I should do is have both of you removed from the team for a while..."

Setsuna gulped as she got that same sick feeling in her stomach that she had gotten that day back at her old school when she was dismissed. Her face started to heat up and her eyes threatened to leak out as she prepared herself to once again, be removed from the sport that meant everything to her.

"However..." started Takamichi. "From what I've seen...we have a decent team this year and removing the two of you would cause issues for everyone. Therefore, I'm taking it upon myself to punish the both of you. I want the two of you to report here Friday night for dressing room clean up duty and rink maintenance." Asuna accidently let out a groan of disapproval which she instantly regretted when Takamichi's eyes shot in her direction. "Also, I think I'll be removing the status of captain away from you until I feel you deserve it again Asuna. Maybe being knocked down a peg or two will finally get you to listen to something other than your ego. Now, go straight back to you dorm rooms and forget about attending practice tomorrow morning. I think the two of you need a forced break away from the team for a day."

With that, Takamichi left the girls in a huff and was quickly followed by the two younger boys out the front doors of the Superplex. Setsuna just stood there, completely in shock as she slowly came to realize that she was still on the team and just had to go through a punishment. She was overjoyed inside her head when she thought about being able to play another year. The defenseman took a calming breath and quickly stole a glance to the red head beside her. Asuna was also standing in silence, her face was still stuck in stone mode as she processed what Takamichi had just done to her. It was only the first game of the year, and yet she somehow managed to get into a fight and had her captaincy taken away from her. Not only that, but she had forcibly pushed her best friend and roommate off of her, causing her to fall back. She could pretty much forget about Konoka talking to her over the next few days, especially after she had assaulted the girl she was into. Without another word, Asuna turned and left out the same door the coaches had. Setsuna waited for a few moments to assure that the red head was far enough away where she wouldn't run into her before taking off to her own room.

_I must be cursed... I can't believe this almost happened again...even keeping calm didn't help out that time. Hopefully, all of this will blow over or else Friday night, as well as the rest of the year...are going to be extremely difficult..._


	6. Keep Your Enemies Close

**And we're back for more hockey related action with the sixth chapter! **

**I'd like to take a second and thank everyone who have been so supportive with G2GA and yeah, I'm sad that it's done but I'm happy to continue on with this little sucker!**

**I'd like to make a quick shout out to LooMoo, Guerrilla Warfare, and Morlin for their constant reviews. Keep it up, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy my stuff!**

**All right, here it is! **

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**Keep Your Enemies Close...**

Konoka went straight back to her room after classes that following Friday, not even bothering to wait for Asuna. Ever since she witnessed her captain snap after their game the other night and jump Setsuna, the goaltender decided to distance herself. She was irritated beyond belief that her supposed best friend would let some issue of petty jealousy take over her better judgment, allowing herself to lash out on the innocent defenseman. Konoka was still in disbelief that Asuna had even went so far as to violently push the goalie away from her when all she was trying to do was stop the situation from escalating to something the captain would later regret. All the goalie could think about at that moment when her hands wrapped around the red head's arm was what would become of her if she hit Setsuna the wrong way, causing her to get knocked into unconsciousness, or worse. Both girls would have suffered at that point.

The goalie groaned as she flopped down onto her bunk and rested her arms on her head. Usually at this time, she would either be heading out for a run or to the gym with Setsuna. Unfortunately every time she tried to ask the defenseman to head out over the last two days, she left without so much as looking in her direction. It was clear that her raven haired defenseman was doing her best to avoid her at all cost. Konoka had figured it was because Setsuna either didn't want the goalie to get involved or, what she feared most of all, the defenseman got scared off from being around her because of the captain. If that last point was the case, then Konoka would never be able to forgive Asuna. Just then, the goaltender heard the door to her room slowly creep open. She didn't even bother to look up as she already knew who it was.

Asuna walked into the slightly darkened room and placed her bag down beside the door before looking over to Konoka. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Hey Konoka...I was just stopping by to drop my stuff off before heading out to dinner. Did you wanna come with me?"

Konoka didn't even bother to make a noise as she quickly rolled over to her side to stare at the wall. She couldn't believe that Asuna was asking her to go out to dinner with her as if nothing even happened between them that night. The captain may have been acting slightly cautious around her, but the goalie knew it was more to avoid the situation as opposed to Asuna actually being remorseful of what she had done. Konoka lay there and listened to the silence that followed her roommate's question, wishing that she would just hurry up and leave.

"Fine...I have to go to my punishment after anyway..." said Asuna with an irritated huff. She made a grab for the door again before she started to step out, mumbling to the goalie as she closed the door. "...we were never like this before she came here..."

Enraged, Konoka picked up something that was lying on the floor beside her bed and threw it as hard as she could against the door. It sped through the air and after hitting it with a loud bang, it crashed to floor.

_I can't believe you! You're so thick headed sometimes, it's like nothing will ever get through to you! Setsuna is a part of our team and yes, even though it's only been a few weeks since we met I have very strong feelings for her. You need to get the hell over yourself, get over me, and smarten the hell up! If this doesn't get fixed...I'm...I'm moving out of our room..._

She sighed and then groaned as she swung her legs over the side of her bunk in an attempt to get up. Konoka had been rooming with Asuna for as long as she could remember and had never once thought about leaving. Even when they had had some of their bigger fights over stupid things or the types of girls the goalie slept around with, they had managed to work it all out in the end. At this point, it seemed very unlikely if not impossible for Asuna to drop her issues with the defenseman and become friends. The only thing that Konoka could see coming out of this, was their team suffering from the forced loss of two of their best players. She pushed herself up off her bed and made her way over to the spot on the floor where the random object she threw lay in defeat. As she got closer, the goalie's eyes grew wide as they fell on the object in question. In her blind rage at the captain, Konoka had managed to pick up her boxed up stack of Tarot cards. When they hit the door, one card seemed to mysteriously dislodge itself from the box and now lay face down on the floor. The goalie bent down carefully and took a deep breath as she slowly reached down for the fated card. Her fingers gently gripped around the closest corner, and with her eyes slamming shut she turned it over.

When Konoka opened her eyes to peek at what it was, they grew wide in surprise. She blinked before leaning in for closer inspection. "...No way..."

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The sun had gone down about a half an hour before Setsuna made her way through the doors of the Superplex. She had spent the afternoon before the scheduled punishment time alone, cardio training out in the woods. Over the last two days the defenseman had decided it best to avoid everyone on the team in an attempt to cause as little tension as possible between her and Asuna. After all, she was new and Asuna had been the captain of the team that had been together for years. Setsuna felt as if she would somehow be moving in on the red head's territory if she hung around with any of them. She sighed deeply as she passed by the dressing room and continued on down the hall to Takamichi's coaching office. Setsuna was hoping more than anything to avoid another situation like this when she enrolled at Mahora, and she never would have expected to once again be placed within inches of being removed from yet another team. As she placed her hand on the handle she shook her head.

_I gotta do something about this..._

The defenseman opened the door with her head down, still deep in thought about what she should do. It wasn't until she heard Coach Takahata clear his throat to grab her attention that she shot back up and focused instantly on the room. Apparently, she was the first one there as well as the only one aside from the coach in the room. She quickly looked up at the clock and noticed that she was in fact, about twenty minutes early for the punishment than she was required to be. She laughed inside her head; of course she was early, she always was.

"Ah Setsuna, it's nice to see you here well in advance." said Takamichi with a slight yet still serious smile. He moved from his spot in front of a play board and sat down in his seat behind his desk, signalling for Setsuna to sit in the seat in front of him. She nodded and took her place. "I hope you're ready to work, there's a lot to do tonight."

"Yes Coach..." replied Setsuna, oddly afraid to make eye contact with the man who could have so easily dismissed her.

Takamichi eyed her and noticed how nervous and awkward the defenseman was. He smirked and gave a little sigh as he leaned forward in his seat. "Look Setsuna, you really don't have to be worried about being kicked off a team again..."

Setsuna's eyes suddenly shot up to meet the coach's. "But...how did you?"

"Negi told me..." he replied, still keeping eye contact with the now surprised looking defenseman. "...He was worried about the way you looked while I was confronting you and Asuna that night and came to me to explain his concerns. Now, I don't expect you to tell me why you were dismissed now...but just know that when you're ready, I'd be happy to listen."

Setsuna sighed and slumped down slightly in her seat. "Yes sir..."

"Oh come on now, don't worry about it..." smiled Takamichi as he tried his best to cheer her up. "Aside from this little unfortunate incident, you seem to be an upstanding person. I can see why you used to be captain on your old team. At first I wasn't sure if you'd be the right fit around here, but now that Negi and I have gotten a chance to watch you on the ice and interact with you, there's just something about you that we like."

"Well thank you sir...I try my best." smiled Setsuna slightly, feeling more relaxed with the way the conversation was going.

"Which brings me to my next concern and point..." started Takamichi as he removed his glasses to rub at his eyes. "About the fight the other night...your partner Makie told me earlier today that you weren't so much the attacker...She's a good, loyal kid and friend that Sasaki. Anyway, no one has to tell me twice about Asuna..."

The defenseman gulped, and for some reason she felt the need to stick up slightly for the ex captain; even though she was the very reason for everything that had happened to her since joining the team. "I...I don't think it's fair to put all the blame on Asuna...I mean, I probably could have used a little more tact when talking to her..."

She watched as Takamichi shook his head from side to side. "You could have all the tact in the world, and still not be able to get through to that girl when she has her mind set on something...but that's beside the point. I know that deep down, Asuna's a good kid...hell I've taught her for years and I've pretty much been like a father to her ever since she started at this school. She just needs that one, strong willed person to get through to her...someone who she can relate to that isn't an old man like myself."

Setsuna looked at him in confusion. "What exactly are you getting at...sir..."

Takamichi smiled and placed his glasses back on. "I think that you might just be the person to do it. I mean...you used to be a captain, you know what it takes to take charge and lead a team. From one captain to another...I think that'd be the best way to go about it."

"But sir!" replied Setsuna, standing up slightly in protest. "Asuna hates me! There's no way she'd ever listen to me, especially now..." she stopped herself as she was about to mention the whole red head being jealous over Konoka supposedly having a thing for her situation.

Takamichi raised his hand, effectively signalling Setsuna to sit back down. "Look, I know that right now, Asuna isn't exactly the friendliest of people to be around...but I really do think that you're exactly what she needs in order to bring her head back down from the clouds. I know that you'll be able to get through to her somehow...I need the two of you to work Setsuna..."

The defenseman sat in silence as she took the coach's words in and thoroughly thought them over. She knew that it would be hard, if not impossible to get Asuna to so much as look at her, let alone listen to her if she tried to talk anything hockey related to her. She glanced back up at Takamichi and saw the look of desperation in his eyes. Clearly he was on his last nerve with the ex captain and had probably tried everything he could to get through to her. If something didn't change with the red headed center soon, Setsuna felt that the only option left for Takamichi and Negi would be to let her go; this would be a devastating decision, especially with it being her last year to be with the girls she had basically grown up playing with. With that thought, the defenseman suddenly became oddly determined to try and help out; if not only for Asuna herself, but for the team as well. Plus, it may be the only chance she had to relieve tension between them, effectively creating an opportunity for her to get closer with Konoka. Once the team was fixed, she could work on that.

"Alright Coach..." began Setsuna with a new found determination. "...I...I'll try my best to help Asuna..."

Takamichi leaned back in his chair with a smile. "Good! I know you'll do great...Negi seems to have complete faith in your ability, so I do too." He stopped suddenly and looked towards the door. "Just in time too...I hear Asuna running up the hallway now..."

Sure enough, a few seconds later the handle of the door turned to reveal a slightly panting red head. She had just ran all the way from the meal hall a good two blocks away, worried that she was going to be late after spending her time after dinner goofing off with Yuna and Kazumi. Asuna had barely even noticed how late the time was getting until she took a quick glance up at the clock, panicking as she saw that she only had five minutes to get to the rink. When she opened the door, she had completely expected to be the first one there.

"Hey Taka..." she began until she noticed Setsuna sitting in the chair across from him. The image of the defenseman becoming the coach's pet, dog ears and all quickly crossing her mind. She continued on as if she hadn't noticed. "...hata. Sorry I was almost late...I was just at meal hall..."

Takamichi smiled, shaking his head and raising a hand to wave it off. "It's fine Asuna, all that matters is that you're here and ready for a long night's work...I was just telling Setsuna here that the two of you are in for a treat tonight. It was family day here today, and that means lots of discarded trash and things left around the entire rink for you two to clean up. I'm expecting to see this place back up to Warrior standards by the time you're done...understood?"

Both Setsuna and Asuna nodded as the defenseman stood up. "Yes Coach Takahata."

After telling the girls that either he, Negi, or Kotaro would be checking on them periodically to see how they were doing, Takamichi dismissed the two girls to begin their night of hard labour. With a handful of trash bags stuffed and hanging out of her pocket along with a broom in her hand, Setsuna followed the ex captain down the hallway to the first area they were to clean, all the while thinking about a way to finally connect with her one-sided enemy.

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"This is ridiculous..." mumbled Asuna to herself as she filled her third trash bag and tying it up before throwing it over her shoulder to bring to the pile of bags down the hallway. "It's not a friggin' dump here...it's a rink...people are disgusting."

Over the last three hours, Asuna and Setsuna had managed to make a decent sized dent in the leftover bits from family day. They had started off with the rows and rows of spectator seating, sweeping up any discarded junk they could find before piling it all up on the stairs that ran up and down the rink. With many groans of disgust silently coming from the both of them, they started to pick it up and quickly throw it in the bags. The only thing that they had left to do was the hallways around the dressing rooms, as well as the two dressing rooms that were used for hospitality rooms where the families went for breaks to get snacks and tea. The whole time Setsuna had been working, she had yet to spot so much as a hair from either coach or their funny little equipment manager. She had decided that either Takamichi had been bluffing about checking up on them in an attempt to keep them civil, or the three were watching from the shadows. She laughed to herself as she pictured her young teacher paired up with Kotaro sneaking around in the shadows to keep an eye on them, much like little boys pretending to be spies or ninjas.

Once they threw the last few bags from the stands on top of the pile, the two girls made their way down the slopped hallway to the dressing room area to start their second round of work. Setsuna was still completely up in arms as to how she should go about talking with Asuna. There was no way she could just bring it up, as that would most likely result in either her being ignored or enduring snarky comments that would most likely lead to a fight breaking out. She had to remember that no matter what, she needed to stay calm; it wasn't going to help either of them if she gave into her feelings and lashed out in defence. If only she could find something that would grab the ex captain's attention, that would at least get the ball rolling. As she continued to walk down the hallway behind Asuna, she suddenly noticed the red head veer off towards their own dressing room, opening the door and walking in without so much as a second thought. Curious and slightly annoyed that Asuna was most likely shrugging off the rest of her duties, Setsuna followed against her better judgment.

The defenseman opened the door and was welcomed by the sight of Asuna, stick in hand, playing around with a small orange ball. Without even thinking Setsuna spoke. "What are you doing?"

Asuna sighed in irritation as she turned her back to the raven haired girl and continued to roll the ball around on her stick. "...I'm taking a break...what's it to you?"

"Nothing..." replied Setsuna. "I'm sorry..."

"Whatever..." groaned the red head.

Setsuna decided that maybe she should take a little rest too, so she sat down at her spot on the bench. After all, she had just spent over three hours picking up some rather disgusting looking pieces of trash; they did deserve a little breather. She didn't know when it had happened, but suddenly the defenseman became oddly aware that she was watching the center forward handle the ball. She had never noticed before, but Asuna had really good hands and was able to make it seem as if stick handling came as naturally to her as breathing. Setsuna watched in awe as the oblivious ex captain wove the ball all around the random bits of discarded gear on the floor next to her as well as the way she seemed to create interesting tricks using the insides of her feet to bounce the ball off of. It really was something to see, considering not many girls in their league, or even of their age could pull off some of the things she was doing. It wasn't until Asuna had rolled her wrists and scooped up the ball onto the blade of her stick to balance it and bounce it around that an idea quickly burst into Setsuna's head.

_If It's one thing I know for sure about Asuna, it's that she loves competition...she isn't the type to back down form a challenge and she would do anything to prove that she's better than someone...I have pretty decent hands too...maybe if I...but how to bring it up?..._

Setsuna smirked as a thought popped into her head. If she went about it the right way, this plan just might work. She got up and made her way over to where Yunagi was resting in his spot, waiting for the right time in which to pick him up. The defenseman tried to look as inconspicuous as possible before clearing her throat to catch Asuna's attention. Much to her surprise, the ex captain turned her head slightly to look at Setsuna.

"Can I help you?" asked Asuna sarcastically as she continued to play with the ball; now back down on the ground.

"No, not really..." Setsuna threw on the best cool and calm expressions she could before diving into the next part. If she said this in even the slightest wrong way, a fight would surely break out. With one last calming breathe the defenseman put on an out of character dark smirk before continuing on. "I was just wondering if it was maybe you that needed some help. I've been watching your stick work there...I gotta say it's pretty good...but it feels like you're missing something..."

Asuna's head shot up as her hands came to a dead stop before turning around to face Setsuna head on. "What...what did you just say?"

Sensing that she was treading on thin ice, Setsuna shifted gears slightly to bring the tension down. "I was just saying that you have some pretty good skills there...it's some of the best stick work I've seen in a long time...but it's still missing something..."

"Is that right?" asked Asuna sarcastically as she turned back around to play with the ball once more. "And I'm so sure you're the one to tell me what that is then?"

"Oh I'll tell you..." began Setsuna as she reached for Yunagi. "But...only if you can manage to beat me in a game of keep ups..."

Asuna stopped again and smirked to herself before turning around. "Are you challenging me? Seriously?"

Setsuna nodded. "Yep...although I don't know how much of a challenge you'll be..." She wasn't exactly sure how that last comment was going to go over, and prepared for the backlash she would most likely receive for it. When none came, she looked up to the ex captain and was surprised to see her thinking.

"So, say if I accept your stupid little challenge..." began the red head with a hint of attitude. "...what's in it for the both of us...and don't tell me any shit about teaching me what I'm supposedly missing..."

Setsuna thought hard; she would need something good in order to completely reel in the fiery center forward. At first nothing came to mind, but then she decided that there was only one thing that would get her to agree. "If I win...we sit down and talk, team mate to team mate about what's wrong between us..."

Asuna smirked but sent Setsuna a nod anyway. "Alright, and when I win?"

Setsuna took a deep breath before continuing. "If you should win...I'll stay away from Konoka..."

Asuna's eyes grew wide at the proposition. To her, it was almost like taking candy from a baby. She had been practicing stick handling ever since she could pick up a stick. It was almost like her stick was an extension of her person, and she always felt like she was in control. There was no way she was capable of losing something as easy as a game of keep ups; the thought was almost laughable. On top of the fact that she would be holding a win over the detested defenseman, she also had the joy of laughing at the fact that Setsuna would no longer be hanging around Konoka. No matter how she looked at it, there was nothing she didn't like about this challenge. With a small laugh, the ex captain made her decision.

"It's a deal Sakurazaki..." she told the defenseman with a confident smile.

"Good...let's do this..." replied Setsuna.

The girls took their spots in the center of the dressing room a few good feet apart from each other. The game was to go like this: Asuna would start with the ball and bounce it one time off of her stick. If she managed to do so without dropping it, then she would clear that stage and allow for Setsuna to try for her turn. The game would continue this way, each round adding an extra bounce as they went until one of them dropped the ball. To make it even more interesting, they were allowed to use any other part of their body to tap the ball off of as long as it didn't hit the ground. If they chose to, they could either copy the same move the previous girl had done, or try to outdo them on their next turn. As Asuna made to scoop up the ball onto her stick, she sent an icy stare towards her opponent.

_You're sooooooooooooooo going to regret this Sakurazaki..._

The red head rolled her wrists and quickly picked up the ball, balancing it on her stick before easily sending it into the air and watched it fall back down to bounce off her stick for her first turn. She then allowed the ball to drop over to the defenseman, who was patiently waiting for her turn. Just as Asuna had done, Setsuna easily tapped the ball once before sending back over to the ex captain. The first handful of rounds continued on in this same manner, both girls making it look like a child's game. It wasn't until they reached ten bounces that the game started to become interesting. Asuna had decided to make the first move and added a few bounces off of the top of her foot before sending it back up to her stick for the last few bounces. Setsuna smirked and decided to amp it up by alternating the side of her stick between bounces, adding a foot bounce on the second last one. Each time either one got their turn, it turned into a juggling act as booth were looking to outdo the other. As the game progressed, the moves became more and more elaborate with things like deflections off the walls, to alternating foot bounces, and even showy flipping over sticks from hand to hand. The game seemed to be going on at an endless rate as it became more and more apparent that both girls had some serious skill.

Asuna couldn't believe that the defenseman was able to keep up with her like she was. She hadn't met anyone who was able to last past ten rounds, and that person was Kaede way back in their first year of high school. She watched intently as Setsuna expertly handled the ball that she had sent to her by allowing it to roll down her chest and past her stomach before bouncing off of her knee to her stick. She was beginning to feel something odd come over her. It wasn't anger, wasn't irritation, it wasn't even jealousy that was making its' way to the forefront of her thoughts. It had been a long time, but Asuna was almost certain that she was beginning to feel a sort of respect towards Setsuna. In a way, it bugged the hell out of her that she was feeling this; but at the same time she couldn't help but feel...happy. She had finally met someone who she considered to be an equal to herself in skill and her head was telling her that this wasn't the defenseman trying to show off. She had a feeling that Setsuna had genuinely wanted to try and work things out with her. Maybe if it was for the good of the team, Asuna could suck it up and make herself be a little more open minded to the new girl. With one last bounce of the ball, the red head sent it over to Setsuna, who on the fifteenth bounce out of the now required twenty-five, tripped over a discarded glove. The ball hit the ground with a thud and rolled away under the bench.

Setsuna stood there in silence as the realization that she had lost slowly sunk into her head. If it wasn't for that glove, she would have had it. Now she wouldn't be able to talk with Asuna like Takamichi had asked of her, and even worse, she had to stay away from Konoka. Sighing to herself, the defenseman put on a forced smile as she reached out to shake Asuna's hand. "...It...it was great playing with you Asuna. Congrats on your win...as promised...I'll stay away from Konoka..."

Asuna felt the defenseman's hand quickly grab and shake hers before dropping it just as quick. She then stood there as she watched Setsuna turn on a dime and head for the door. The red head wasn't exactly sure what really made her do it, but she quickly acted before it was too late. "Hey Sakurazaki...hold up sec!"

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"Now don't think that I'm doing this because I like you or anything..." began Asuna as the two girls sat down in the stands and watched as the Zamboni made its' last round on the ice for the night. She kept staring at the odd little tractor as she continued to speak. "I just figure that maybe...it might be the best for the team if we try and work things out..."

Setsuna was nearly out the door when she heard Asuna call out to her before said girl lunged at her and gently grabbed her arm. To say that she was surprised when the ex captain offered to sit down and talk with her despite winning would be an understatement. The defenseman felt like she needed to pinch at herself to ensure that she wasn't in fact dreaming as she nodded and allowed the red head to pull her out to the stands. Once it settled in that she was actually awake and that this talk was going to happen, Setsuna began to panic; she had assumed as soon as she lost that this wasn't going to happen and had instantly forgotten what she was going to say to Asuna. She began to fidget slightly as the tension in the air continued to build and the silence felt deafening since the zamboni had just left the ice. Finally, Asuna was the first to speak.

"Look Sakurazaki...you know just as well as I do that you have something to say to me..." started the ex captain in a cool tone. "So why not just come out with it..."

Setsuna sighed and then turned her attention towards the red head. "It's just...what exactly is it that you don't like about me, first off..."

Asuna leaned back in her seat with her hands behind her head, not really even needing the time she chose to take for her answer. "I hate being shown up in something that I work hard in...you made me look like an asshole that day of tryouts, not once, but several times..."

"But I was only doing what Coach asked of me Asuna..." replied Setsuna as she leaned forwards. "It was a tryout after all...I had to prove myself to them as well as the team in order to be accepted...it was the same exact reason why you guys made me do initiation...I had to prove myself..."

Asuna sighed as she remembered the hell she had gotten from Konoka for putting Setsuna through such a task. It wasn't one of her finest moments, but it was one that she thought at the time was needed. "Yeah about that...I guess we went a little too far with that one..."

"It's fine Asuna..." replied the defenseman. "No one got hurt and, despite feeling slightly humiliated, I sorta had fun..."

"Being chased around by crazed girls is fun?" asked Asuna with a little smirk. Without even thinking, she said it. "Who are you, Konoka?"

Setsuna's face went dark red as she brought her eyes down to stare at her feet. "I forgot that part of the deal was for me to stay away from her...I'm good on my word so..."

Asuna watched as the defenseman's whole face fell. Clearly, despite Setsuna wanting to be careful around Konoka in case she was just using her like she did all the other girls, it seemed like she was slowly starting to develop deeper feelings for her. Every time they hung out together, whether it be training or something as simple as walking to and from school, seemed to make the defenseman very happy. The ex captain continued to watch the sad look take over Setsuna's face. She didn't realize that this girl would be so upset to lose any time with the goaltender. Asuna laughed in her head a little as she thought to herself how much she related to Setsuna in that area. It was almost impossible to avoid getting drawn into the pleasant aura surrounding her roommate. Then a huge hit of guilt suddenly took the red head over. If she went through with her winnings, then Konoka would ultimately blame her for everything and she would probably never speak to her again...or worse. Even though she tried to play it off earlier, Asuna was really upset that she had caused Konoka to get so angry with her. She wouldn't be able to stand it if she lost her best friend now over something so silly as her hard headed pride. For the goalie's sake, she couldn't allow for this to happen.

"Look Sak...Setsuna...don't worry about the bet alright?" she said while staring at the empty ice.

Setsuna stared at her in surprise. She definitely wasn't expecting her to say this. "Are...are you sure? Because I really don't want to cause any more trouble for the team..."

"Yeah...yeah it's fine..." replied Asuna. "...besides, you really aren't the one who's causing issues for the team...you weren't the one who went and fucked up and got their captaincy taken away after one game..."

Setsuna leaned back in her seat and stared up at the ceiling. She was slightly relieved that she would still be able to be around Konoka but was now feeling uneasy as they reached this next subject. The defenseman would have to focus if she was going to get through to the red head and help her see why things were going the way they were. Then she had an idea.

"Well, I can't say that I've ever lost my captaincy after the first game of the year...but I did lose it in nearly the same way you did..." She instantly felt the center forwards eyes fall on her.

"You used to be captain too...and lost it?" questioned Asuna with an odd look in her eyes. "Geeze...what would a goody-goody like you have to do for that to happen...did you kill someone?"

Setsuna laughed weakly and shook her head. "No, nothing like that...although at that time when it happened I thought I was angry enough to do just that..." She glanced over to Asuna and saw for the first time, that the red head was actually showing her some concern. She smiled as she continued. "Let's just say that it wasn't one of my finest moments..."

Asuna sighed and leaned back next to her. "I'm sorry to hear that...it sounds like you had a tough time with it...guess we're more alike than I thought..."

_Probably more than you realize Asuna..._

"Asuna...could I say something to you without you taking it the wrong way?" asked the defenseman, trying her best to sound serious while hiding the tremble of nervousness that threatened to escape her. "I promise that I don't mean to offend you in any way..."

Asuna looked confused, but decided that Setsuna meant what she said. "Yeah, go ahead."

Setsuna took a deep breath. "It's just...I see how you interact with everyone on the team and it's clear that you're well liked and even deeply respected by everyone. You show everything that a good captain needs to have, and yet...you let your pride take over whenever you feel like you're being threatened. I know how good you are, I've seen you in practice and I was completely taken with your stick work back in the dressing room. You need to realize that there's no need to show off or feel like you have to run things all the time. That's why you're part of a team...you're supposed to do things as a team. Win or lose, you accept it and work together to make yourself stronger. The girls look up to you for encouragement and strength...I know that you're able to show them that Asuna...but you need to focus on the team as a whole instead of yourself..."

Asuna looked at her, blinking in her stunned state. At first she felt like she should be lashing out in anger at the defenseman for basically telling her to get over herself; but then it slowly sunk in that Setsuna was telling her to step up and actually prove that she was the captain she knew she was. The defenseman made a good point in telling her that she needed to start thinking in a group mindset instead of just as an individual. Her team needed her to take the lead properly if they stood a chance in redeeming themselves this year at nationals...she needed to properly redeem herself to them.

"You're right Setsuna..." sighed Asuna as she looked over to the defenseman. "I've been worrying too much about myself instead of focusing on what's important. I promise to work on keeping my head focused...and I guess I could go a little easier on you too..."

"Thanks." smiled Setsuna. "I just want to have a good last year of high school hockey...and I know that you and the others do too."

Asuna stood up and laughed. "You know what Setsuna...you aren't all that bad. Maybe if I'd have been a little more accepting of you after that tryout, we'd have been good friends by now."

Setsuna laughed and scratched the back of her head as she also got up. "Well you know, I'm pretty easy to get along with...it's not too late if you wanna give it a go..."

Asuna suddenly stuck out her hand and offered it to the defenseman, who at first looked at it in confusion before catching on and grabbing a hold of it. The two then shook hands. "Hey, I'm Asuna Kagurazaka. Welcome to the Mahora Warriors."

The defenseman smiled and continued to shake. "Setsuna Sakurazaki...I'm looking forward to playing with you this year..."

From the hallway leading down to the dressing rooms next to where the two girls were shaking hands, Coach Takamichi smiled and shook his head. He laughed to himself as he thought about the youth of today before heading out towards the main doors.


	7. Playing With A Player

**Gah! Negima finally ended and though I'm sad to see it go, I'm satisfied with some of the things to come out of the last chapter.**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter I hope you all enjoy it! I even started on the next chapter already so hopefully that'll be out soon**

**I feel I may even do a TGMH update around the same time...we shall see!**

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**Playing With A Player**

"Oh come on Ref...that's a shit call!" yelled Evangeline as she made her way to the penalty box. She turned around before he had time to close the door. "That was a friggin dive!"

The ref closed the door and waved the fuming blonde girl off. "Sorry, a hit's a hit...the call is final..."

The short center forward slammed her fist against the glass in protest before falling back onto the small bench in defeat. Sighing and shaking their heads, her line mates Chachamaru and Chao made their way back to the bench for a change up. The rest of the girls groaned as they approached; clearly agreeing with them that the penalty call was ridiculous. It was the last period with just over three minutes left in their fourth home game, and for the first time that year the Warriors found themselves tied with one point a piece. It was a tough game, as the opposing team was ranked third in their region, only two places behind them in the overall standings.

When one of the defensemen from the other team got a hold of the puck and began to make their way down the ice towards a waiting Konoka, Evangeline immediately turned on the heat and chased the girl down. What had happened when the call was made was a direct result of the centerman catching up to the girl and making brief contact with her shoulder. Knowing how much time was left and that their chances would be better of scoring with a man up, the girl chose to pull off what was one of the most obvious dives in sports history. The refs of course, knowing Evangeline from years and years of rough play, automatically blew the play down and gave her two minutes for charging, to which they received an earful of protest from the crowd. Now with only so little time left, the Warriors were a player short with the opposing team's best power play line hitting the ice.

"Alright girls, listen up." began Takamichi as he quickly leaned over the boards to the eagerly listening girls. "I want penalty kill line one out there...since there's not a lot of time left, try to stay on for as long as you can...get it done."

"Right!" replied all the girls as one.

Making their way out to the face off was the Warriors' top penalty killing line, all of whom were personally selected by Takamichi after running some intense drills during the last few practices. It was obvious that Setsuna was put on, as she was one, if not the strongest defenseman they had. She was joined by Mana on her left side, with Asuna securing the first offensive spot. The last forward spot was given to Zazie Rainyday, which at first seemed unlikely as she was a rather quiet person. However, Zazie seemed to almost disappear on the ice and then reappear with a flair of precision in the times when she was most needed, creating very positive defending opportunities as well as scoring chances for her team.

Zazie Rainyday; The Mahora Warriors' offensive magician...

Asuna turned her head slightly and nodded towards Setsuna who quickly gave her a salute of understanding before crouching down at the ready. She smiled as she thought about the way things had been going between them, ever since that night a few weeks back. The memory faded and her smile turned to a look of serious concentration as the puck left the hands of the ref and made its' way in slow motion to the ice.

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**~Two Weeks Earlier~...**

Asuna and Setsuna had just made their way out of the Superplex after their long night of cleaning the rink as per punishment they had received for fighting from Takamichi. Both girls were yawning and stretching as they slowly made the long walk back to the dorms, where they could finally flop down in their beds and catch some well deserved rest. Setsuna reached her hands up into the air and let out a satisfying sigh after letting her arms loosen out from her last stretch. She couldn't get over how beautiful and clear the sky was tonight, allowing for the perfect view of all the stars in the sky. She only ever got a chance to see the sky like this when she did night training, but hardly had time to just enjoy them as she was pushing herself to work harder to get stronger. It was nice to just simply walk down the street, now carefree since befriending Asuna during their punishment, and take in her surroundings.

_It'd be nice to share this with someone like Konoka...I feel like she'd be into stars and stuff...of course, I still don't know what she really thinks of me..._

From a few feet beside her, Asuna looked over to the shorter girl and smirked as she watched the defenseman's features turn with a slight tinge of red. Without really having to ask, the ex captain knew exactly what was going on inside her teammate's head; she knew, because that used to be her. Asuna wasn't really sure what it was about Konoka that brought the girls flocking to her in droves but she knew that it must have something to do with that attractive air, both physical and emotional, she had coming from her. The ex captain remembered that fateful day back in their last year in junior high when it suddenly dawned on her that she wanted to be more than just friends with the goaltender. Now as she continued to glance over at Setsuna, she knew that the exact same thing was happening to her.

Asuna laughed lightly to herself. "So...I bet you're pretty relieved that we're alright now, yeah Setsuna?"

The defenseman suddenly realized that she had been spacing out thinking about Konoka and had completely forgotten about Asuna even being there. She quickly snapped back to focus and nodded awkwardly to a still laughing Asuna. "Y-yeah...it's nice to know that I don't have to worry about any more fights or issues coming between us..."

"Yeah that's always good..." smirked Asuna. "...but I bet it's even better knowing that now you don't have to worry about my issues getting in the way with you and Konoka..."

"W-what do mean?" asked Setsuna as she scratched the back of her neck and tried to hide a blush.

Asuna rolled her eyes. "Oh come on now Setsuna. I'm not stupid...I knew you had a thing for her even before you made the bet to stay away from her during keep ups..."

Setsuna blinked before sighing deeply in defeat. "It's that obvious huh?"

"Yep...sorry." smiled Asuna as she punched the defenseman in the arm. "Helping with training, offering to protect her, that look you get when you see her...you got it bad don't ya?"

"Even if I did...it doesn't matter anyway..." began Setsuna as she turned her attention back to the sky. "I heard things about her from Makie...I have no idea if she even likes me in the same way I do...what if..."

"What if you're just another one time thing?" finished Asuna in a sighing and bored sounding voice. "Yeah yeah...I can see your concern...but I feel since we're on better terms now, I should tell you something kind of important..."

The defenseman's eyes quickly shot back to the ex captain. "What is it?"

"Well...let's just say it was another reason for me hating you..." laughed Asuna as she watched a look of confusion come over Setsuna. She shook her head and continued. "Listen...the stuff you've been told about Konoka being a player is completely true, I won't lie about that...but, for some reason Konoka sees you as completely different from all those other girls. Actually, according to Kazumi, it looks like Konoka hasn't felt that way about any girl since we dated...which is that other reason for why I didn't like you..."

"She..." replied Setsuna before pausing to try and remember what she had just been told. Slowly the words began to sink in. "Konoka sees me as more than just...just someone to fool around with? Like...she wants to...be with me?"

The defenseman watched as her ex captain nodded. Suddenly, she could feel her whole face heat up and turn a dark shade of red. She had known for a while that Konoka had at least had some interest in her, but she never would have guessed it was anything like Asuna had just told her. The defenseman had been concerned since that night after initiation when Makie had unknowingly placed into her head a not so innocent image of the goalie, and was now feeling a little silly for letting something like that eat at her. Maybe now she could finally let herself get closer, and finally let herself give in to the goaltender instead of holding back her feelings.

"Oi...so when you gonna make your move Setsuna?" asked Asuna, completely catching the defenseman off guard. "...ha...hope you've got some experience between the sheets...if you know what I mean..."

Setsuna's whole body went bright red as she caught sight of the devious smirk on her ex captain's face. "W-w-well...I...uh..."

Asuna burst out laughing as she watched the awkward spasm burst out from the girl in front of her. It was clear to the red head that if this girl was actually experienced, she was rather bashful when it came to talking about it. Asuna continued to laugh while Setsuna stuttered on through her awkwardness as the two made their way through the dormitory doors and headed up to their floor. The defenseman was still blushing and scratching at the back of her head as she waved goodbye to Asuna before heading into her own room. The ex captain waved her off and smiled; she could already tell that by befriending her, she would be able to have a lot of fun messing with the defenseman. The ex captain's laughter and smiling stopped however, when she came to her own door.

_Shit, I forgot about coming back to an angry Konoka...she looked so pissed off at me when I left earlier...hopefully she's not awake, that way it'll give me some more time to work out a good apology...plus I can save the surprise of Setsuna and I working things out...yeah, I know she'll be happy when I tell her that..._

Asuna slowly and quietly opened the door, being careful not to make any noise in case Konoka had fallen asleep. She quickly stepped inside and turned to close the door behind her before locking it up for the night. She then turned around, and instead of facing a dark room with a passed out goaltender lying in her bunk, Asuna came unexpectedly face to face with a dark looking figure.

Asuna gulped and put her hands up to try and wave off the angry looking Konoka who was pressing in on her, forcing her to back up against the door. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Konoka c-calm down!"

The goaltender was now inches away from the red head's face now. She paused briefly and stared her down. "...What did you do..."

Asuna squirmed slightly and continued to stutter. "W-wha-what do you mean, what did I do?"

Again, Konoka continued to lean in. "...What did you do..."

"Konoka...I-I don't understand what yo-..."

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" yelled the goaltender as she grabbed the front of Asuna's shirt.

"Oh gods I swear I didn't do anything. I didn't even lay a finger on her tonight or say anything at all..." Asuna stopped for a quick breath before trudging on in her panicked state. "...I just cleaned the rink like Taka told us too, which was really disgusting cause of family day and everything and I don't understand why people gotta be so gross, but then it was ok cause Setsuna and I talked everything out and now we're alright and I don't know what else you want from me!"

Konoka pulled the ex captain closer, smirking under the shadow covering her face. "What was that last part?"

Asuna gulped again. "I-I said that Setsuna and I talked everything out and that we're cool now...I was gonna tell you in the morn-..."

Asuna was effectively cut off from the rest of her sentence when all air left her lungs from the sudden hard squeeze Konoka was giving her. To the red head, it was as if the goaltender had some sort of serious personality disorder as she watched her friend go from murderous tyrant to squealing happily like a small school girl. She was still in shock as she felt the goaltender continue to hug her adding in some nuzzles and the odd friendly kiss to the red head's cheeks. This was far from what Asuna had expected to receive when she first got cornered, but eventually she relaxed and even began to smile as she realized that everything was going to be alright between her and her oldest friend.

Konoka backed off slightly and smiled at her ex captain. "I knew it, I knew it! I just knew that you and Setsuna would work everything out...the cards don't lie you know!"

Asuna rolled her eyes playfully as she patted her goalie on the head. "Yep everything's fi-...Wait, what do you mean cards? Don't tell me you knew this whole time! What the hell was all that scary shit for?"

Konoka stuck out her tongue before giggling. "My tarot cards basically told me that what once were enemies shall soon form new bonds...I knew as soon as you left that you and Setsuna would become friends..."

Asuna stared in disbelief at her odd little goaltender. "So you did all that, just for fun then?...you're one scary little jerk, you know that?"

Asuna playfully pushed her friend off of her and then the two of them joined each other in a small fit of laughter. It felt good to be like this with Konoka again; she had missed it and was glad that things were finally starting to turn around. As the two got ready for bed, they continued to talk and joke around with each other. Konoka was telling Asuna all about how excited she was for the three of them to finally hang out together and maybe even spend some alone time with the defenseman, now that she wouldn't have to worry about causing anymore rifts between her and her roommate. Finally, the two slipped into their bunks and said their goodnights. Asuna lay looking up at the ceiling, thinking to herself and smiling.

_Well...I hope you know what you're getting into Setsuna...Konoka's an odd one and she's practically a ball of never ending energy...just be good to her...I don't ever want to see her hurt...now, let's see what this kid can do..._

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The puck sailed across the ice as one of the opposing team's forwards passed it up from the corner to their waiting defenseman. There were only thirty seconds left in Evangeline's penalty, and the Warriors had managed to keep a strong hold on the play. Even now, when they were defending their own end, they remained calm and focused on what they needed to do.

Setsuna and Mana watched as the puck went back and forth between the other defensemen, with Asuna leading in with a well gapped and timed challenge. They were slowly running out of time to do something with the puck before their one man advantage ended, and were growing desperate with each passing second. Suddenly, one of the defenseman panicked as Asuna came in close and decided to let off a quick shot. The puck made its' way straight to the net, but proved to be pointless as Konoka saw it coming and made a clean deflection to the corner with her blocker. Setsuna was on it in an instant, causing Asuna and Zazie to set up; the later at the blue line while Asuna swept down to receive a pass. The ex captain turned on the speed as she sent a pass directly to Zazie, who picked it up with little effort and made her way up the side of the ice with her head up. Just as she got to center, Evangeline came bursting out of the penalty box as her time expired, calling for the puck with everything she had. The odd forward smirked before sending a nice hard pass to the shorter blonde across the ice. Instantly, Zazie took off and made herself scarce.

Evangeline tore over the blue line as they entered into the last minute of play. She was determined to win this game, as she did not want to feel responsible for a tie due to her unfortunate penalty. She smirked to herself as she passed the last defenseman and began to lift back her stick. Just then, she caught something from the corner of her eye coming towards her hard. Evangeline knew all too well who it was, and decided that the goalie was paying far too much attention to her to have noticed. The blonde came down and brought her stick up, but instead of coming down and connecting with it, she fanned the shot. The goaltender was down instantly as she had expected the puck to come at her. With a final mocking laugh, Evangeline tapped the puck over towards the side of the net where an awaiting Zazie easily deflected it in. There was a roar from the crowd as Zazie and Evangeline were joined at the boards by the rest of the line for a rowdy celebration. The clock eventually ran down and the buzzer went off, signalling for the game to end. Once again, the Warriors managed to pull off another exciting game and even came out with a win. After shaking hands, the team made their way back to their dressing room to get changed and celebrate.

Asuna smiled as Konoka waved her off, leaving the showers. The ex captain then looked over to Setsuna, who had spent the better part of her shower time staring at the wall with a slight blush. Asuna shook her head and laughed. "Geeze Setsuna...how do you expect to get anywhere with Konoka if you don't even look at her?"

Setsuna sighed and took her attention away from the tiled wall to look at the red head. "It...it just wouldn't feel right to take advantage of our perks of being team mates...especially when we haven't even gone out yet..."

"So what's stopping you from asking?" asked the red head as she proceeded to wash out the last bit of shampoo from her long hair. "You already know that she'd say yes as soon as you ask."

"That's not the problem Asuna..." began the defenseman as she turned and leaned her back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. "It's just that...well...I imagine Konoka's been on tons of dates and..."

Setsuna had wanted to ask Konoka out for a long time now, but she was unsure on what she would ask her out to do. She already knew from what Asuna had told her that the goaltender saw her differently from the other girls; but she still felt a need to further separate herself from them and show Konoka that she was someone special to her. The defenseman had been wracking her brain over it for the past two weeks and was still unable to come up with something that wasn't so generic. To make matters slightly worse, she was even having trouble being alone with Konoka during training, as her mind often wondered away from what they were currently doing to images of the two of them together. This usually ended up with the goalie making a comment to snap her back into reality or Setsuna making an out of character ass of herself by stumbling over something or dropping weights on her feet.

"I guess I see your point..." sighed Asuna as she made a grab for her towel. "...even though I'm pretty sure you could just stand there on your date and she'd think it was the best thing ever...There's gotta be something you can do though..."

Setsuna shook her head in slight defeat. "I've thought about everything...nothing seems to scream out perfect date...it's like everything's been done before..."

"Oh come on...there's gotta be something Setsuna." replied the ex captain as she rolled her eyes at her new friend's over dramatic groans. "I mean, even I know that you're different form the others...you are on the same team and all..."

Suddenly an idea popped into the defenseman's head and she quickly dried herself off and threw on some clothes. She smiled towards Asuna, who was looking at with her squinted and questioning eyes, before heading out to the main dressing room. As she quickly tied her semi-dry hair back up into its' usual side pony, the defenseman made her way over to Konoka, who was just finishing laying out her gear to properly dry. The goalie immediately stopped what she was doing as soon as she saw the defenseman's feet standing next to her gear bag. She looked up and was greeted by a friendly, yet determined look from Setsuna.

"Hey Setsuna, what's up?" asked the goaltender with a smile.

"Could I...possibly talk to you..." she paused for a moment and noticed that she was being watched by Sakurako's line, as well as Sayo, Ku, and of course Makie. They all casually turned away and started looking at random things or whistling when they caught sight of Setsuna looking in their direction. Setsuna laughed in her head and continued on. "Talk to you outside...for a second?"

Konoka nodded. "Sure! Let me just throw on my hoody."

Konoka grabbed her hoody and pulled it over her head before following the defenseman out of the room. They walked slowly down the hallway, Setsuna wanting to get just far enough away from the door so that they wouldn't be over heard by their friendly, yet extremely nosey team mates. Finally they came to a stop and the defenseman took a deep breath before continuing on with their conversation.

"So...I was wondering...since everything else seems to be going alright now..." began Setsuna. She paused once again as her eyes fell upon the goaltender's happy looking face, instantly becoming distracted as she fell into those big brown eyes.

Konoka laughed a little as she watched the odd look come across Setsuna. "You were wondering what...Setsuna?..." she finished with an overly suggestive smile, loving the way it messed with her defenseman.

Setsuna quickly snapped out of it and pulled herself together. "I...I was wondering if maybe, you'd wanna go out...or whatever...with me tomorrow night..."

It was as if cheers louder than the ones she was used to in a championship game sounded off through Konoka's head. Inside, she was feeling extremely giddy and almost childlike as her heart began to pound with excitement. The goaltender had been waiting for something like this to happen ever since she first got to know the defenseman, and especially since Setsuna had made peace with Asuna. In fact, she was almost growing worried that maybe her intuition concerning Setsuna's feelings towards her was wrong. It had been two weeks after all; if the defenseman was going to make a move, why wouldn't she have done so immediately? Of course, these thoughts made Konoka feel like she was being a little self righteous in assuming that she was that important and attractive to be jumped on as soon as humanly possible. The goaltender was sure not to give away her raging excitement, and quickly threw on a cool smile as she looked to the raven haired defenseman's eyes.

"Sure Setsuna...I'd really like that..." she was sure to throw in her hand subtly brush against Setsuna's arm. Konoka smirked happily inside her head as she saw the slight change in tone on the defenseman's face. "What did you have in mind?"

It was now Setsuna's turn to act cool and confident as she gently took Konoka's hand into her own. She looked at the goalie and, making a huge effort to push back her nerves, sent her a playful wink. "It's a surprise...you're just gonna have to wait miss..."

Konoka was surprised; she had no idea what Setsuna had up her sleeve and was now looking even more forward to the following night. With one last smile, the goaltender waved off the defenseman and slowly made her way to the exit. As soon as she got outside however, Konoka took off at top speed for her room. There were only so many hours in a day, and she needed to be sure to make use of all of them between now and tomorrow night.

Meanwhile back in the Superplex, Setsuna patiently waited for Konoka to leave and for the door to close before springing into action. As soon as Asuna had mentioned that she and Konoka were part of the same team, the idea for the date became quite apparent. There was only one thing that she was able to provide the goaltender with for a date that all of the other girl's couldn't. This was definitely going to make her stand out, even if she had no need to do so. As she ran down the hallway, she hoped that it wasn't too late to set it up. She was going to need some help, and there was only one person who could provide her with what she needed. As she rounded the corner, a wave of relief rushed over her as she heard the sound of off key singing coming from the little team management room. Setsuna knocked quickly on the open door frame, and watched as Kotaro's head shot up from the stick he was taping. She sent him a small salute of acknowledgement in return to the one he gave her before entering.

"Hey Setsuna, what's goin on?" he asked as he placed the stick down. "Nice game out there tonight by the way."

"Uh thanks Kotaro..." Setsuna replied with a smile. Her face became determined once again as she came to a stop a few feet away from the spiky haired boy. "...Hey, you remember that first day I came in here and you said that I could come to you for anything?"

Kotaro laughed and tossed the roll of tape into the air, watching it lazily as it fell back down into his waiting hands. "Yep, sure do...what is it you need shorty?"

"Is the rink free tomorrow night by any chance?" she asked him in a hopeful tone.

Kotaro nodded and smiled. "Nothing's scheduled in there tomorrow after six pm. It's completely empty...why?"

Setsuna smirked and scratched at the back of her head. "Well...I sorta have this date and..."

"Say no more...anything specific you need?" he replied with an understanding wink.

"Actually yes..." began the defenseman as she stopped scratching her head and crossed her arms in front of her. "There are a few things...but most important...I need access to the Alumni skybox..."

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"Asuna! How about this one?" asked Konoka in a rushed and slightly nervous tone. She tried her best to wait patiently as the ex captain looked her up and down, but was growing more and more impatient as the answer didn't come. "Asuna!"

"Calm down Konoka, geeze..." sighed Asuna from her spot on the couch. She had been the victim of the goaltender's last minute fashion show for the tenth time .

now, and despite wanting to be helpful, she was starting to show signs of annoyance. She was about to say something sarcastic when she caught sight of Konoka pouting, causing her to playfully roll her eyes. "You look fine Konoka, really...stop worrying about it, it's not like you to get so flustered before dates..."

Konoka continued to pout slightly. "...but this isn't the same...I just wanted to make sure I look perfect..."

Asuna laughed now and looked her friend up and down. "Trust me Konoka...you look better than that..." she watched her best friend blush slightly before continuing. "...besides, I'm pretty sure you could wear nothing and you'd be fine..."

"Nothing huh?" smiled the goaltender deviously as she playfully made her way back to her room. "...you know, that's not such a bad idea..."

"Hey! That doesn't mean strip off dummy!" yelled the red head.

Konoka came back out of her room laughing and completely clothed, watching as Asuna face palmed before falling back into the couch. It was just about 7:30 in the evening and Konoka was becoming more and more anxious as the time slowly crept closer to when she would meet up with Setsuna. The defenseman had stopped by earlier that day to let the goaltender off of training for the day as well as tell her that she would be by to pick her up around eight. Before Konoka even had a chance to get so much as a hint out of Setsuna as to what they were doing on their date, the defenseman jogged off down the hallway for her own little bit of training. From that point on, the day felt as if it was crawling along which lead to many random spurts of second thoughts on clothing, accessories, and even what kind of body spray she wanted to use. Asuna almost had to leave at one point to try and relieve herself from the crazies, but instantly gave up as she saw the look of nervousness coming from her roommate.

Now, Asuna glanced up from her resting spot on the couch to watch the goaltender trying her best not to fidget with her clothes or random objects laying on their table. She sighed and raised her hand to grab Konoka's attention; motioning for the goalie to join her on the couch until Setsuna came for her. Konoka quickly made her way over to the couch and flopped down, trying her best to keep calm. She had to admit to herself that Asuna was right; it was extremely odd for her to act like this over a date, even if it was with Setsuna. Usually, she would have been the one to either pick up the girl or meet up somewhere. She also would never have put so much time and effort into what she was wearing, and just ended up going out in whatever she decided to throw on that day. When she thought about it, it must have been because she knew that she didn't have to work to get what she wanted from these girls. They were more than willing to throw themselves at her; it was almost too easy. With Setsuna however, she felt like she was the one that needed to do everything she could to impress her. She laughed nervously in her head as she thought about the odd reversal in roles. Suddenly, she felt her nerves get the best of her, and she made a grab for her cards laying on the coffee table.

Asuna quickly grabbed them and held them away from her, with one hand pressed against the goaltender's forehead in an attempt to hold her back. She sighed as she watched Konoka flailing under her hand. "Konoka, come on...there's no need to check out how your date will go..."

"But Asuna!" whined the goalie as she continued to struggle against her hand.

"Nope, I'm not giving in this time..." laughed Asuna as she tucked the box of cards under the couch cushion she was sitting on. She clicked her tongue as she heard a small whine coming from the goaltender. "...don't you think it's better to go on a date and not know what to expect? Kinda the point isn't it?"

"Yeah...I guess you're right..." sighed Konoka as she fell back into her seat.

"There's a good princess..." laughed Asuna as she watched Konoka continue to pout.

It wasn't long after Konoka finally started to calm down and relax, when there was a knock on the door. Asuna looked at her phone and noticed that it was exactly eight o'clock. She sighed and shook her head, laughing slightly as she thought about how punctual the defenseman was. Konoka shot up from the couch and made her way over to the door. With one final brush over her clothes and a last plea for luck directed to Asuna, the goalie took a calming breath and opened the door. She went blank for a moment as her door filled with the sight of a tight fitting, dark blue zip-up hoody rolled up at the elbows filled her line of sight. After the long pause of silence, Asuna rolled her eyes and decided that if she didn't say something, then the date would end up at her doorway.

"Oi, hey Setsuna." greeted the ex captain now lounging on the couch. "How was the gym earlier?"

Setsuna snapped back into focus after staring at the tank top Konoka was wearing complete with what looked to be something similar to a black racer's jacket. She then quickly glanced over the goalie's shoulder towards Asuna. "G-great...it was great...I met up with Makie and Mana while I was there...it was a good time..."

Asuna got up and made her way over to the door to join them. She may as well have a little fun with these two while she had the chance. It wasn't everyday that someone was presented with such a good opportunity to induce friendly humiliation like she was given now.

Asuna wrapped an arm around the defenseman's shoulders and pretended to act all serious. "Speaking of a good time...I don't know what your intentions are with my roommate here...but I expect her to be home at a reasonable hour...so if you're gonna be getting it on, do so sooner rather than later..."

Setsuna's face went bright red as she tried her best to hide it by looking away. Asuna laughed and Konoka shot her a look of amusement mixed with irritation. "Asuna...goodnight."

Konoka then gently grabbed the red head by her shoulders and forced her to turn around before sending her back into the room. She then waved one last time before shutting the door, sighing in relief that she was now away from anymore of her friends embarrassing antics. The goalie then turned around, to which she was greeted by a smile from Setsuna, who had offered out her hand for Konoka to hold on to. Without a second thought, Konoka reached out and took hold of it and allowed for herself to be lead down the hall and then out of the dorms. The whole time, both girls felt their chests tighten as the hand hold grew into Konoka wrapping her arms around the defenseman's upper arm.

Once outside, Setsuna came to a stop and turned to face the slightly confused goaltender. "Alright...so since this is a surprise...I kinda need you to wear this...just for a bit!" added the defenseman in a panic as she presented Konoka with a head band to wear over her eyes. She was nervous because of how odd it may have looked handing her date a blindfold; she didn't want it to sound creepy or kinky in anyway.

Konoka giggled while Setsuna smiled at her nervously. "Well alright...but only this once..."

Setsuna smiled again before reaching up to place the blindfold gently over the goalie's head, allowing it to fall easily over her eyes. Before the goalie had a chance to ask, the defenseman placed Konoka's hands back on her arm in order to lead her to their destination. For a moment, Konoka was left feeling a hot sensation slowly making its' way through her body. Something about having Setsuna take charge and lead her, once again protecting her and making sure she arrived safely, made her crave more from the defenseman. Hopefully whatever the date plan was, it goes well, and then maybe she could have an excuse for jumping the gun and move things along a little faster. Just as those thoughts began to become clearer in her mind, Konoka felt Setsuna slowly come to a stop. They had just climbed a good amount of stairs and now the defenseman was reaching up to take off the blindfold.

"Alright, we're almost there..." began Setsuna as she paused her fingers around the edge of the headband. "I'm gonna take this off...but you still can't peak ok?"

Konoka nodded yes and felt the head band come off a few seconds later, Setsuna's hands coming quickly back over the goalie's eyes to replace it. The goaltender gasped slightly as she felt the slightly rough yet comforting feel of Setsuna's fingers brush over her skin. She hoped that the heat rising through her face wasn't giving her away as Setsuna continued to lead her a short way. Finally, the two girls came to a stop and Konoka heard the sound of a door gently being closed as the defenseman nudged it with her foot. It was silent for a few seconds as Setsuna took a deep breath, hoping that everything she had managed to plan out with Kotaro the day before was the right way to go. With one last nod of confidence to herself, the defenseman leaned close to the goaltender.

"Alright...we're here..." said Setsuna, doing her best to hide the fact that her lungs wanted to jump out of her throat. "I...I hope you like it..."

Konoka still had her eyes closed as she felt Setsuna's hands leave her face. Slowly, she began to open them, eyes growing wide once she took in what was in front of her. She continued to stare forwards, not noticing a look of relief coming from the defenseman beside her. "Whoa...Setsuna, how did you? It's so...whoa..."

Setsuna laughed a little as she shakily made a gentle grab for the goalie's hand to lead her down to a seat. "Well...I had a lot of help from Kotaro..."

"Remind me to thank that kid later..." replied Konoka, still in wonder as she looked around.

Kotaro had managed to get the Alumni sky box open for Setsuna to use earlier that morning. Since then, she had been running around trying to get everything else set up, only stopping for a quick training session; some habits were hard to break. What Konoka was staring at now was the darkened arena, complete with low lighting usually reserved for use if the power went out due to a storm, with some of the lights changed to various colours thanks to the defenseman. The Alumni skybox they were currently situated in, was also dimly lit and the larger room they had entered into sloped downwards to a balcony of seats that had the perfect view from center ice. It was here where Setsuna had lead her to, where they sat down in two of the middle row seats, complete with various snacks that Asuna had told the defenseman were Konoka's favorites. What sealed the whole thing together was the large electronic scoreboard directly across from them hanging from the ceiling, where Setsuna had gotten Kotaro to hook up to a DVD player so that they could watch Konoka's favorite movie. Setsuna reached down into her pocket and took out a mini flashlight which she brought up over her head and flicked on and off several times, signalling to Kotaro who was waiting below to start the movie. She then sat back in her seat and glanced over to Konoka, who still couldn't seem to bring her eyes away from her surroundings.

"So uh...wha-what do you think?" asked Setsuna nervously, thinking that maybe she had over done it for a first date. "It's too much...right?"

Konoka slowly shook her head before finally turning her attention back to the defenseman. She saw the awkward and nervous look coming from her and smiled as she moved closer to wrap her arms around Setsuna's. "No...it's amazing. I've never had someone do something like this for me before...thank you..."

Setsuna scratched the back of her head with her free hand and smiled. "You're more than welcome..."

For the first little bit the two girls sat there and watched some of the movie, talking about random things and eating some of the snacks the defenseman had set up. As time went on, less and less attention was given to the screen as they became more interested in talking with each other. Konoka had become so interested in learning more about the raven haired defenseman, that she hadn't even realized how close she was getting to her. Even Setsuna didn't realize that they were now only a few inches apart until she looked up and her eyes met with the goaltender's. Her heart jumped to her throat as she nervously laughed and moved away slightly, Konoka trying hard not to giggle as she did so.

"So, you used to be captain on your old team?" asked Konoka, trying to draw attention away from Setsuna's nerves. "Now I can see why Asuna finally broke down and listened to you..."

"Yeah well...it's not like I'm the best influence in the world..." started the defenseman. "I did lose it...just like she did..."

Konoka looked at her with questioning eyes. "You lost your spot as captain? There's no way! You don't seem like the type to do something as reckless to be punished like that...what did you do?"

Setsuna sighed; she would love more than anything to tell Konoka all about what had happened with her old team, but she still felt like it was too soon to get her or even the rest of the team involved with her past. She looked at the goalie with apologetic eyes. "Please don't get offended or anything...because I really do wanna tell you...but I'm just not ready to talk about it yet..."

Konoka nodded and smiled at her honest defenseman. "It's ok Setsuna...just know that when you're ready, I'll be here to listen..."

The goalie had debated if she should do it or not, but threw her worries behind her as she leaned in and kissed Setsuna on her cheek playfully. She moved back and giggled as the defenseman's face became a dark shade of red. Before Setsuna had a chance to stutter out any sort of response, Konoka jumped up and extended a hand out to her. The defenseman looked up and saw a wide and energetic smile that seemed to glow off of Konoka's features.

"What do you say we go for a little skate together?" the goalie asked as Setsuna stood up.

Setsuna took Konoka's hand and nodded. "Y-yeah...that sounds fun..."

The two girls raced down the hallway, and quickly made their way to their dressing room to gather up their skates. They then made their way to their home bench and proceeded to take off their sneakers and laced the skates up. Konoka was the first one done and playfully jumped over the boards and onto the ice, laughing as Setsuna gave her a funny look.

"What?" said Konoka between bits of laughter. "I'm a goalie, I never get to hop over the boards...it always looks so fun to do..."

"Yeah it's pretty fun..." laughed Setsuna in response. "...that is, until you catch your foot on someone's arm and end up falling flat on your face in front of a rink full of people..."

Konoka smirked and sent a played up look of concern to the defenseman. "Oh...so that's why it looks like that..."

Setsuna stood up, looking confused. "Why what looks like what?"

"Why your face looks so weird." laughed Konoka as she stuck out her tongue jokingly.

"Oh that's it miss...you're in for it now..." replied Setsuna as she jumped the boards.

Konoka shrieked playfully and took off down the ice as the defenseman chased after her. Setsuna smirked as she made her way faster and faster down the ice, hot on the goalie's tail. They quickly came up to one of the nets that had been left out for the night after the zambonie's last run, and Konoka darted behind it. The red bars of the net were the only things separating goalie form defenseman and a heated battle filled with laughter carried on as Setsuna tried to get her hands on Konoka. The goaltender kept her eyes on the defenseman who also seemed to have her attention glued to Konoka. The goalie decided to take a chance, lunging one way before quickly turning and trying to take off in the opposite direction; but goalie skates are built differently from regular skates, and the lack of ankle support mixed with the unusual feel from lack of goalie pads surrounding it, became quickly apparent. Konoka screamed as she began to fall, arms coming up instantly to guard her unprotected head. She waited for her body to make impact with the ice below, and when none came she was confused. She quickly looked up and her whole body became heated as a blush took over.

"That was a close one miss..." smiled Setsuna with relief as she held the goalie in her arms. The defenseman had made a last second lunge and dove down on her knees in order to save her from smacking down on the hard, cold surface. "That would have been a nasty spill...good thing you weren't too far awa-..."

Setsuna was completely interrupted by Konoka's lips quickly coming up hard onto her own. The defenseman's head spun around as she felt Konoka wrap her arms around her neck and pull the defenseman in closer to her. The kiss, though extremely welcome and feeling as if it would go on forever, came to a stop almost as fast as it came about. Konoka gently pushed back and raised a hand to her mouth in an attempt to hide the embarrassed feeling she was getting from acting so suddenly. Setsuna meanwhile, was left with her eyes still wide open in surprise and frozen in place as the rink slowly stopped spinning around her. Slowly she shook her head and began to blush herself as she let her eyes fall on the goalie still lying in her arms.

"K-Konoka...that was..." began Setsuna.

Konoka smiled and giggled a little as she slowly picked herself up. She looked down to the still kneeling defenseman and winked at her. "Well...I had to reward you with something for saving me...if you want more though, you're gonna have to race me for it!"

The goalie then stuck out her tongue playfully and once again, took off down the ice. Setsuna smirked and shook her head as she pushed herself upwards, pushing off in the same direction in long, powerful strides. She had been worrying about going on this date with Konoka for so long now that it felt like it was hopeless to think it would be successful. Now as she rounded along the far corner of the boards and pulled up next to the energetic little goaltender, Setsuna felt as if there was no way this date could have failed, no matter what they ended up doing.

_I can't believe that I worried about this...everything is completely fine, and Konoka looks like she's really into it. Maybe...maybe it'll be different this time around...I hope so...I don't think I could handle something like that happening again..._


	8. The Past Comes Out To Play

**Alright kids, we are now moving into a new...arc?...of the story. It's been a long time coming, but it's about to get serious for Setsuna and the Warriors.**

**This is step one towards some questions being answered! Hope you enjoy!**

**There's some links on my profile page to some jersey concepts as well as a sweet looking drawing done up by LooMoo! Take a look, and feel free to do up some drawings...I love seeing pictures that go along with my writings!**

**Also, look for an update for TGMH coming soon!**

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**The Past Comes Out To Play**

Coach Takamichi sat in his office at the rink, carefully going over drills he would be using during practice that morning. He couldn't help but feel satisfied with the way the season had been going so far, and was rather impressed with the recent changes he saw coming from the ex captain of the team. Takamichi knew as soon as he handed the responsibility of getting through to Asuna over to Setsuna a few weeks ago, that the defenseman would get the job done. He smiled and ran his hand through his hair, thinking that if the once fiery red head kept it up, then she would be back as head of the team in no time; maybe he'd even allow Setsuna to join in and share the responsibility. The phone rang then, turning his attention away from his thoughts and drills to pick it up. Just as he did, Negi came walking through his door. The older coach motioned for him to come in and sit as he spoke into the phone.

"Hello, Coach Takamichi Takahata here..." he greeted and then waited for a moment. "...Ah yes, how are you sir? It's been a long time...what is it that I can do for you today?"

Negi sat silently and watched as Takamichi paced around the room with the phone attached to his ear, nodding into it and grunting yeses in response to some questions. He also watched as the older coach's eyebrows narrowed as he suddenly came to a stop, clearly indicating that whoever it was on the other end of the call was trying to get something out of Takamichi that he didn't agree with. Takamichi turned his back on the younger boy and began a heated conversation.

"...Look, I understand what it is the committee wants...but I don't think it's such a good idea..." grumbled the coach into the mouth piece. "...No, I really don't think you understand the possible outco-...yes I know that it would be exciting and would draw a lot of attention to the sport, but still after what happened last season my girls would...Well I can see you aren't going to take no for an answer so, we'll be there...Alright...good day to you too sir..."

Takamichi sighed in defeat as he lowered the phone back down onto his desk before taking off his glasses and rubbing at his temples. He should have expected something like this to come down from the Japanese High School Hockey Association, but he had hoped that it wouldn't. He lightly cursed under his breath as he made to turn back around, forgetting that Negi had been sitting there the whole time. The young boy looked at him in confusion, waiting for some sort of explanation as to what could have possibly changed the older coach's mood from laid back to irritated in just one quick phone call.

"Uhhh Takamichi...what exactly..." started Negi as he stood up.

Takamichi waved him off and started to make his way down the hallway to their smaller changing room. "It's just something that we're going to have to deal with Negi...I may as well tell you and the girls after practice is over this morning..."

"Alright then..." said Negi in a slightly worried tone. "Must be something big I guess...If it's got you sounding so irritated..."

"Oh trust me Negi...It's big..." he replied shaking his head. "...And it couldn't have come at a worse time...just as we finally got the team, Asuna especially, calmed down..."

The two coaches changed and laced up their skates before making their way out onto the ice to wait for the team. When the girls finally did come, practice resumed as it usually did with warm up skating, some tough defensive drills and a handful of timing and offensive manoeuvring. It was a hard practice, and many of the girls were glad to finally hear Negi blow down the last drill of the morning. They were all about to head off of the ice, when they heard Takamichi call them all over to take a knee around him at center ice. The girls all looked confused as it was apparent that their coach had something very important and oddly troubling to tell them.

"What's up coach?" asked Yuna while the others all whispered around her. "We in trouble or something?"

"Not this time Yuna..." laughed Takamichi as he tapped her helmet with his stick. "No...I'm afraid it's something completely different...In fact, I already know what your reactions will be to this...which is what scares me..."

The girl's interests peaked and their whispers grew louder. Negi stepped in and began to wave them down to a calm level. "Come on now girls...let's hear him out..."

Takamichi stopped skating around and came to a stop dead center of the circle his Warriors were kneeled around. "Well...It seems that the Mahora Sporting committee has been contacted by the JHSHA and have been offered a very tempting opportunity to bring the school a great deal of recognition. It looks like, no matter where I stand on the subject, we are to go through with the plan...basically, what I'm getting at here is the school, along with the JHSHA want to draw attention to its' female hockey program by hosting an exhibition game between the two top teams in the country..."

"What's wrong with that?" called out Evangeline. "We could use some decent competition around here instead of those poor excuses for teams we usually deal with..."

"Eva has a point..." agreed Chachamaru.

"Yeah, it seems like a pretty sweet deal...why are you all up in arms about it Taka?" asked Asuna as she stared at the concern in his eyes.

"Well there's the issue of the team you'll be playing against..." replied the coach as he glanced up to the ceiling. "You may be the best team around here...but the one you'll be playing against...is the same team from the Kansai region that beat us in Nationals last year..."

"You mean..." asked Makie.

"Yes..." sighed Takamichi. "...in a few day's time, we'll be taking a road trip where we will end up playing against Kyoto Prep..."

The mood around the circle completely changed from that of confusion over the matter, to rage as the girls all began to remember the team that stole away their title the year before. There was a mix of curses and cheers of excitement as each member became excited with the possibility to redeem themselves earlier than expected this year. All the girls were excited, except for one particular defenseman. While the others were carrying on with plans and ideas for the perfect revenge, Setsuna's heart felt like it was dropping out of her at the mere mention of the school's name. It wasn't supposed to happen; she wasn't supposed to meet up with her old team, at least not right now. She was just starting to become comfortable with the girls surrounding her, even becoming close friends with Asuna and now dating Konoka. She felt like everything she had worked so hard to hide was now about to come out all at once.

_Maybe if I play it right...they still don't have to know...it might be possible to avoid any sort of interaction off the ice with my old team if I'm careful...they can't say anything while we're playing, so as long as I don't make a chance for them to get near us..._

"Hey Setsuna..." whispered Konoka from beside her as she leaned in. "You alright? You don't look so good right now..."

Setsuna's eyes shot upwards and she quickly tried to think of something she could say to cover up her thoughts. "I-it's nothing Konoka...just getting excited to hit the road and play some real hockey..." she finished with the best smile she could put on, considering she felt like passing out. She hated lying to the goalie, but this was all for the best.

Konoka on the other hand could tell something was up, but decided that she would leave it be. "...alright then..."

Eventually, all of the girls began to calm down and one by one, they made their way off the ice. Asuna was ecstatic over this development, and couldn't wait to finally put a beating on the team which had caused her so much grief over the last few months since losing to them. She kept in mind that she was still technically on thin ice with the coaches, and that she would definitely need to keep focused on her team during the game; besides, what better way to prove herself worthy of leading her team than in a game against the one team who made her skin crawl with rage. As she got undressed, she began to count down the days to her redemption; not noticing the look of unease settling in to a permanent placement on a raven haired defenseman's face.

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It was early in the morning on the day of the exhibition game in Kyoto, when Setsuna reluctantly made her way over to the Superplex to gather up her gear. She had told Kotaro that she would be more than happy to help him back up the team bus for his assistance with her date a few days back. He said it wasn't necessary, but Setsuna wanted to have an excuse to walk to the rink alone; she didn't want Konoka or even Asuna to notice how she was feeling and start to ask questions. The defenseman could only lie for so long before it became painfully apparent that something was up. She already had a feeling Konoka sensed something was wrong with her, and was grateful that her girlfriend decided to let her deal on her own; though she didn't want to push her luck with how long the goalie was willing to let it slide. She sighed as she came up to the door, resting her head on it briefly and groaning. It was going to be a long day, and now she would have to slap on an air of calmness if she was going to make it through unscathed.

A short time later, Setsuna followed Kotaro out to the bus with her own gear bag, saving it for last to ensure that she didn't forget anyone else's. She threw the bag into the cramped luggage space under the bus before closing the door with a slam. She stretched out her arms and sighed, wishing that this trip would just hurry up and get over with. The plan was for the Warriors to leave around eight in the morning, giving them plenty of time to make it to Kyoto to get out and stretch a little before grabbing a light lunch and heading to the arena for their game. The defenseman slowly made her way back towards the rink, stopping suddenly as some of her team mates walked around the corner of the Superplex and were now heading for the bus. Her worries for the day seemed to calm a little as she noticed Konoka break away from the group and head towards her, causing the defenseman to smile just a little as she watched the way the goalie walked. Despite feeling horrible being around her over the last few days from lying, Setsuna just couldn't help but feel like her messed up world was a little more peaceful.

Konoka walked over to the bewildered defenseman with a huge smile and came to a stop just inches from her. Before Setsuna could even greet her, the goalie leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. She then pulled back to catch a slightly startled Setsuna, blinking back at her. "Morning Setsuna..."

There was a small amount of giggles and some mock whistling coming from Yuna and Haruna, and a few cat calls were shouted from the rest of the small group as they watched the little exchange between the two girls in front of them. Setsuna smiled awkwardly as she watched Makie and Asuna playfully push their teasing team mates away and into the bus. The defenseman sighed; she had already known as soon as she had returned from the date last Saturday night that she would be getting some good natured flack from the other girls. The defenseman had after all managed to obtain the unobtainable princess. She quickly turned her attention back to Konoka and reached up to hold the goalie's cheek in her hand, grinning as she did.

"Morning Konoka..." she replied while feeling Konoka lightly snuggling into her touch. "You look like you're happy...hope you had a good sleep last night, 'cause it's going to be a tough game this afternoon..."

Konoka giggled a little as she took the defenseman's hand into her own. "Course I'm happy, I've got everything I could possibly ever want!" she smiled deviously and glanced at the defenseman. "...and I guess there's you too..."

"Konoka...ouch" laughed the defenseman as she playfully pulled away from the goalie.

"Hey come on Setsuna...I was only kidding!" replied Konoka with a slight pout. She instantly threw on a smile as she saw the defenseman give her a forgiving look. She then grabbed back onto Setsuna's hand and led her towards the bus. "...And to answer your question, I did get a good rest. There's no way I'd let anything mess up my chances for revenge against Kyoto Prep...man I hate those girls..."

Setsuna gulped and did her best to hide her shakiness. "...You h-hate them, do you?"

"Yep...every single one!" replied Konoka hotly without so much as a second thought. "I worked really hard, putting in extra time at special goaltender clinics and camps to get my top ranking status...do you know how humiliating it feels to know that you've let not only one, but two goals in that led to your team losing nationals? I felt like I let everyone down..."

"Konoka that's not true..." began Setsuna in a more serious and slightly concerned tone. "Those goals weren't all your fault...it takes a team. Every goal, no matter if for or against, is the responsibility of ever pair of skates on the ice..."

Konoka's irritable and somewhat depressed disposition quickly left her as she took in Setsuna's words. The goalie had always felt pressured by everyone around her to do well, especially from all those girls who thought so highly of her, that she often forgot she had a whole team who shared the same concerns. She couldn't help but feel impressed as she looked at her girlfriend with a new smile brightening up her features. The air of a captain could definitely be felt around the defenseman; there was no doubt about that. These words, that feeling of confidence the goaltender got whenever Konoka felt the defenseman's presence on or off the ice; that had to be the reason why her old coach put her in that position. Konoka slightly scrunched up her face a little as a thought poked around the back of her head. If the defenseman possessed all of these perfect leader-like qualities, why was it that she was stripped of her position?

Konoka shook the thought away, knowing that when the time was right Setsuna would come to her and fill her in on everything. "Thanks Setsuna...you know, you aren't so bad to have around..."

The defenseman laughed. "As usual, any time miss..."

The two girls made their way onto the bus and sat down beside each other towards the back behind Asuna and Yuna and right across from an iPod enveloped Makie. They all laughed as the perky pink haired defense partner broke out into a few custom renditions of various songs while the rest of the team piled onto the bus. The last ones on were Takamichi, Negi, and a very sleepy looking Kotaro who had admitted after some prodding from the younger coach, that he had been up most of the night ensuring all the girl's gear was in perfect shape. While they sat down, the driver closed the doors and the large vehicle rumbled to life. As the bus slowly pulled away from Mahora Academy and turned onto the main road outside of the school, Setsuna began to feel her heart rate pick up.

_It feels like a long time since I've hit the ice at K.P...I didn't think I'd really ever see it again...guess they really were better off without me...if they've managed to get as good as they are now...maybe she was right all along..._

The whole team seemed to be in various states of consciousness as the bus trudged on towards its' destination. Many of the non-morning types, despite having early morning practices everyday followed by classes afterwards, where passed out against each other. Some of the girls were talking quietly with their seat mates while others were engaged in heated conversations with the group around them. Surprisingly, Konoka hadn't managed to keep her own eyes open for very long, and was now snuggled up to the completely awake Setsuna's arm. The defenseman was talking across the way to Makie, but was sure to sneak the odd glance towards her sleeping girlfriend to take in the cute faces she made.

Makie laughed as she watched her partner's eyes stay glued onto the goaltender longer than she had intended them too. "Hey, I'm glad you and Konoka finally got together. It's about time things between you and Asuna calmed down and you got things going...I kinda felt guilty actually, cause I remembered what I told you about sleepyhead over there...I didn't exactly think about how that would sound..." she tapped her two pointer fingers together and lowered her head in embarrassment.

Setsuna laughed and waved her friend off. "Don't worry about it Makie, you meant well. Besides, I could never be upset with my D buddy...we're the unstoppable pair!"

Makie smiled and joined in excitedly. "More like the Devastating Duo!"

"Oi duo...keep 'er down!" grumbled Asuna playfully as she flipped over to her other side. "I'm tryin' to get some serious napping done he-...'

Suddenly the bus shook, causing everyone to stop what they were doing as a slight tinge of panic took over. Slowly, the bus driver made for the nearest parking lot and slowly brought the vehicle to a stop. He cursed under his breath as he stood up and made his way out the door followed closely by Takamichi and the boys. There were murmurs now making their way throughout the bus as the girls all began to wonder what had happened. Most of those who were asleep had woken up due to the light jostling they had experienced before coming to a stop. Setsuna was slightly worried, but instantly felt relived as she saw that Konoka was remarkably still passed out on her arm.

Meanwhile outside of the bus, the driver had ran over to where the large engine was towards the back and threw open the hatch. For a moment, he was engulfed in a cloud of smoke before it quickly blew away. He poked his head in, and once again began to utter out some hefty curses as he evaluated the situation. The two coaches and equipment manager made their way over and were all about to ask what was going on, when the driver popped back out and told them that there was a problem with the engine and that he wasn't sure how to fix it. Now it was Takamichi's turn to throw out some colourful words as he kicked at the dirt in anger. They had to be at the rink, dressed and ready to go by three o'clock; it was now eleven, and they still had a little but longer to travel.

Negi turned away from the enraged older coach and directed his question towards Kotaro. "Well...what do we do now? The driver has no idea how to fix it and we aren't anywhere near a garage with the capabilities to fix a bus engine..."

"We improvise like real men Negi..." replied Kotaro as he pushed past the driver and leaned in to look at the engine. "Causin' trouble and sharpenin' skates aren't the only skills I got you know. Just give me a bit of time and good ol' Kotaro will have everything fixed up..."

"Well...do you at least need any help with anything?" asked Negi as he moved closer.

"Nope...just leave this to a man little boy..." smirked the equipment manager.

"I'm only a year younger than you and I'm a university graduate with a teaching degree!" yelled Negi in response to the back of a laughing spiky haired head.

After Takamichi calmed down, he went back inside the bus and let the girls know that they were having a problem with the engine and that hopefully they would be back on the road soon. Only a short time later, Asuna was becoming mildly antsy and was looking for something to do. She couldn't get back to napping with all of the talking now going on, and the excitement was still rising over the game they would be playing in later. She decided that maybe she would grab her stick and a ball from the gear hold under the bus, and take out her frustrations of being stuck in a parking lot with some good old fashioned stick handling. She got up and nodded to Setsuna and the sleeping goaltender and made her way out the bus door.

Asuna tried her best not to burst out in a fit of laughter as she watched Negi try to help Kotaro with the repairs only to be pushed away or made fun of in the process. She shook her head and made her way around the front of the bus to other side where the gear was stored. The ex captain pulled on the handle and stepped back to allow for the hatch to swing open. She was excited to see that all of the sticks where piled up towards the front, with hers sitting ever so conveniently on top. However, when she looked at the three bags of gear at the front of the pile, her luck faded as she noticed that her's was not among them.

_Aw man! My bags' probably all the way at the back, there's no way I'm gonna be able to get to my ball now...hold up, Setsuna's bag is right here...she's gotta have a ball or puck or something...she won't mind me borrowing it for a little bit._

The red head pulled the gear bag closer and quickly unzipped it, carefully rummaging around it for any sign of something she could use to entertain herself. At first, she completely missed the odd object laying at the bottom of the defenseman's gear, as she was too focused on the objects she had in mind. It wasn't until the third pass over, that Asuna's eyes locked onto it. Confusion ran through her mind as she was trying to figure out where she had seen this hockey sock before. It was driving her nuts that she wasn't able to place it. Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning striking a tree, the ex captain's mind became a blaze of anger as she realized exactly where she had seen these colours before. She quickly grabbed the sock and threw her stick back on to the pile before slamming the hatch shut. She then stormed back around the front of the bus and made her way back on, coming to a sudden enraged stop in front of Setsuna.

The defenseman looked up at her in surprise, as she had no idea why Asuna was looking so angry at her. "A-Asuna...what's wrong? What happened?"

"You wanna explain what the hell this is?" yelled the red head as she threw the sock at the defenseman's face.

Konoka woke up when she felt a sudden change in Setsuna's body's tension. She rubbed her eyes and took in the enraged ex captain, and then turned to see what Asuna was staring at. "W-what's going on?"

Setsuna sat there dumbstruck as she stared down at the offending sock now resting in her hands. She had completely forgotten that she still had them lying around in her bag, assuming that she had given everything back when she turned in her uniforms. The royal purple, black, and white colours of Kyoto Prep were staring back at her, mocking her new found happiness in every way they could. The defenseman could feel all the eyes of her team mates barring down into her as the tension on the bus rose to an all time high. What shocked her the most, was feeling Konoka slowly remove herself from her arm and back away. Instantly it felt as if Setsuna's world came crashing to a halt.

"I...I can explain..." stuttered out the defenseman.

"How could you keep something like this away from us?" shouted Asuna. "Did you secretly think it was funny or something to be on the team you beat last year and act all buddy buddy with everyone?"

"But I wasn't on the team for Nationals!" replied Setsuna, panicking now as she realized the direction she was one again heading towards.

"Were you really one of them...Setsuna?" Konoka whispered in a small, heart breaking tone.

Setsuna looked over to the goalie and felt like dying as she saw the look on her girlfriends face. "...Yes...I-I was part of the Demons all through my time at that school..."

There was a quiet grumble of shock going around the small space as the girls reacted to Setsuna confirming her involvement with the one team they hated more than any other. The defenseman picked up on some colourful comments directed towards her from a few girls she thought were her close friends. She looked over to her last hope and saw that even Makie was looking away from her, sitting in complete silence with her head slumped down.

"So what...are you still attached to them Setsuna?" asked Asuna angrily. "Even though they kicked you off, you still couldn't part with anything that reminded you of them?"

The girls around her mumbled in shock as they had the news of Setsuna's dismal thrown at them. The defenseman panicked and tried to shut down Asuna's accusation. "No! That's not true Asuna! You know that I'm a Warrior now...I'd do anything fo-..."

"Save it Setsuna..." said the ex captain as she crossed her arms and sat down in her own seat in a huff. "...Once a Preppy Demon...Always a fuckin' Preppy Demon..."

Silence fell over the bus as everyone sat back down into their seats and turned their attention away from the still shocked defenseman. Setsuna was at a loss for words; how could something like this escalate so quickly? Maybe she should have brought it up earlier, at least to Asuna...and especially to Konoka. It wasn't long after the silence began that the coaches, Kotaro, and the driver all made their way back on the bus. With an easy rumble, the bus shot back to life and soon they were back on the road. Setsuna could still feel the odd stare or hear a quiet mumble coming from her team mates about everything they had heard about the defenseman and tried her best to block it all out. Right now, she needed to focus on two things; one, how to win her team mates back over and avoid any interaction with her old team, and two...what to do about her now silent and betrayed feeling girlfriend beside her.

Setsuna took a deep breath and leaned close to Konoka, who was staring out the window. "Konoka...you know that I'm not one of them anymore...and I swear to you that I wanted to tell you everything, but I just..."

The goalie turned around with an upset look on her face that made Setsuna instantly feel like the worst person in the world. "I understand why you chose not to tell me about what happened with your team last year...but you could have at least told me about this...we're together now, and no matter what...I wouldn't care where you came from...but it feels like you've lied to me, and that kinda hurts Setsuna...maybe...maybe just leave me alone for a bit, ok?"

"O-okay...I'm sorry Konoka..." replied Setsuna weakly.

She watched as Konoka turned back around to look out the window once more. The defenseman cursed inside her head for being such a worrying idiot as she leaned back into her seat. She closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep, hoping that by doing so, she could relieve some of the tension on the bus for the others.

Once again...her problems with Kyoto Prep were causing issues with her new life...


	9. From Her Closet To The Ice

**Alright a new instalment of hockey related fun!**

**Sorry it took so long for this update, I had some essays due and a long group project to take care of...**

**Anyway, here it is! Let me know what you think with your reviews, I think you may find this one interesting...**

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**From Her Closet To The Ice, Here Come The Demons...**

The bus from Mahora Academy slowly came to a stop outside of Kyoto Prep's arena, Vortex Stadium, just a little over an hour and a half until game time. The girls who had managed to fall back to sleep after the whole confrontation between Asuna and Setsuna began to wake up and stretch out before grabbing their things and slowly making their way off of the bus. Before she even thought about pushing herself up off of her seat, Setsuna turned to face Konoka in an attempt to try and get another word of apology in. Instead of the usual happy and carefree face the defenseman had recently grown accustomed to, Setsuna was instead met with the back of her girlfriend's head. It was clear to the defenseman that at this point, the goaltender was still feeling hurt about her lying to her about her old team. Setsuna sighed as she turned back around and slowly got up on her feet; at least she knew for sure that Konoka would forgive her eventually. It still killed her however, to know that she could have avoided this whole situation if she just would have gotten over her past and told the goalie about it. Konoka had been good with being patient with the defenseman's need to keep her reasons for being dismissed secret until she was ready, but the whole being on their rival team should have been divulged.

Setsuna made her way off of the bus behind her partner Makie, who was also still looking upset with her shoulders slouched over. The defenseman was feeling even more like an ass when she saw her perky partner so down; aside from Konoka, Makie was the only other girl on the team who was friendly with her since her first day. She had to do something to make it up to her, there was no way they could hit the ice as partners and perform well with this coming between them. If she could just get a moment alone with Makie on the way to the dressing room, maybe she could quickly explain her reason for keeping her old team a secret. As for the rest of the girls; Setsuna's head began to throb as she considered all the different forms of backlash she would most likely receive for her involvement with Kyoto Prep.

Setsuna quickly grabbed her gear bag, which had been haphazardly thrown onto the ground before grimacing as she picked Yunagi up from his spot dangerously close to a puddle. She then picked up her pace when she spotted Makie walking slowly by herself towards the stadium doors. Now was her only chance, so she broke out into an awkward tilted run, as her gear was throwing her off, towards the pink haired partner.

"Makie! Makie hold up a second ple-..." the defenseman quickly lost balance as her bag swung at a weird angle and took out the back of her knee. Luckily, she had managed to land on the grass to the side of the walk with a small thud. Setsuna cursed under her breath as she made to get up, but stopped when she suddenly saw a hand extended out to her.

"...You should be more careful Setsuna..." began Makie with a small smile. "...falling like that coulda messed up your ankle or something...and especially on a day like today..."

Setsuna sent Makie a smile back and made a grab for her hand, pulling herself up from the grass in one swift movement. She quickly brushed off her backside and legs before turning her full attention on her partner, who was surprisingly still waiting for her despite her small smile fading. "Thanks Makie...I appreciate it...and I'm really, really sorry for not telling you, Konoka, and the others about my being on the Demons...I have a bit of a bad past with them, and figured that my chances of playing them again would be low. I was going to tell everyone eventually...but I just wasn't ready to deal with it...and now I feel like a huge asshole because I've been lying to Konoka, and you, who has been nothing but nice and accepting towards me since meeting you...could you ever forgive me? I swear, I have nothing to do with the Demons anymore..."

"...Well, when you put it all like that...how could I not..." smiled the pink haired defenseman as she once again extended her hand out to her partner, indicating a friendly shake. "We are defense partners after all...and I should have guessed that you had your reasons...I know that Konoka and maybe even Asuna may have already said this to you...but when you're ready, I'm here if you wanna talk about what happened..."

Setsuna shook her partner's hand and smiled, relieved that she had at least won one of her team mates back. "Thanks Makie..."

_Coach Takamichi was right...Makie Sasaki really is a very loyal friend..._

Konoka had taken her time to grab her things from her seat before heading off of the bus to pick up her gear. Once off the bus, she was sure to slowly make her way to her gear and stick, giving her lots of time and space between herself and her raven haired girlfriend. Upon learning of Setsuna's involvement with the hated team from Kyoto, Konoka was shocked. She would never have guessed that her favorite defenseman would end up in a situation like this one. The goalie had known something was up with her girlfriend ever since Takamichi brought up the whole road trip a few days ago. She shook her head as she thought to herself that she should have put two and two together and should have guessed that Setsuna's odd behaviour was linked to the team they would be playing against. Konoka bent down and picked up her gear before heading for the stadium, still deep in thought about everything that she should have paid attention to over the last few days. As she began to hear Makie and Setsuna's voices coming from in front of her, the goalie slowed down even more in an attempt to keep from interrupting the partners. She had heard her girlfriend apologize to the pink haired defenseman and smiled as she saw Makie offer her hand out in friendship, clearly accepting Setsuna's apology.

_Maybe...maybe I'm over reacting to all of this...yeah, Setsuna kept a secret from me, but really...if she would have told me about her being on Kyoto Prep I probably would have pushed her into telling me why she got dismissed...one thing leads to another...she just wasn't ready to say anything...maybe after the game I'll take her aside and apologize for my small lack of understanding on where she was coming from...yeah...that should smooth things out..._

Konoka then followed the two partners in through the front door, making their way to their dressing room for the game. All of the talking going on in the room seemed to stop once Setsuna entered, causing the defenseman to once again feel awkward; just like the time when she was being glared at before her initiation. Then Makie tapped the back of Setsuna's leg with her stick, causing her to look back to her pink haired friend's supportive face. Setsuna nodded remembering that she wasn't alone this time, and made her way to a corner to put her bag down. The team then began to change into their warm up gear in order to go out for a run and some stretching to loosen up for the game. Once changed, they left the dressing room as a group and made their way outside. Setsuna sighed to herself as she broke out into a jog; it was going to be a long game.

After a nice long run followed by a good ten minutes of dynamic stretches, the Warriors spread out on the lawn in front of the arena to do some finally tweaking. The two defense partners made their way to the edge of the group and began to help each other work out their arms. It was oddly silent for a pre game warm up, which was usually filled with laughter and yelling as the girls got themselves pumped up. The two partners sent glances to each other, knowing that they were the reason for the tension in the air. By association, Makie was now seen as a traitor by the rest of the team for giving into the ex Preppy as easily as she had. Setsuna sighed and was now concentrating on trying to keep focused for the tough game ahead of her instead of the eyes of her team mates staring at her and Makie. She still couldn't believe that one little forgotten about sock could cause all of this trouble. The defenseman shook her head as she thought about all the troubles the nooks of a gear bag could hold. Just then, the defenseman felt an odd presence nearing her that she hadn't felt for some time. She closed her eyes and begged for the gods to help her, but knew that it was useless.

"Oh gods, you have to be shitting me..." said a voice that sounded sweet, but had a deadly hint of venom to it. "...Never thought we'd see your sorry ass on Demon soil again...guess the Warriors are desperate and take what they can get after that sad ass loss last year...picking up our scraps..."

Setsuna's hands clenched into fists down at her sides as that very familiar voice reached her ears. It had been a long time since she had heard it, and she instantly felt like disappearing. Her heart began to race and her body began to tremble as the sound of the Demons footsteps came closer and closer. Sensing that her partner was in a bad spot, Makie quickly stepped up beside Setsuna in an attempt to support her; she was instantly joined by Konoka who had been watching her poor girlfriend become a trembling mess with the presence of her old team mates. Now, defenseman and goalie were standing at Setsuna's sides determined to protect her with the rest of the Warriors looking on behind them in stunned silence. The Demons came to a stop a few mere feet from Setsuna, the leader smirking as she crossed her arms.

"Long time no see...Setsuna..." said the same girl from before in a menacing tone.

Setsuna gulped before putting on her best calm, brave face to look up at her intimidator. "Good to see you...Tsukuyomi...girls..."

"I can't believe you actually had the nerve to lace up again Setsuna..." sniggered Tsukuyomi as she took in the defenseman's slightly trembling form. "I thought we told you last time that the way you play was pointless and only got in the way of what actually works...force...I can only imagine that you're just getting in the way yet again...even with these losers, I can't see you being any help..."

"Hey! Back the hell off of Setsuna!" yelled Makie as she stepped in front of her partner. She was slightly shorter than the intimidating Demon leader, but didn't even give it so much as a second thought when it came to helping her friend. "I don't know what the hell your problem is with my friend here...but Setsuna is an amazing player and does nothing but strengthen our team..."

The entire Kyoto team laughed as they watched the odd pink haired girl try to swoop in and save the day. Tsukuyomi smirked as she moved closer to Makie, giving her the once over as she did. "Wow Setsuna...looks like you managed to get yourself a cute little buddy from that loser school...she's pretty quick to jump into something that's none of her business...what is she, your girlfriend or something?"

Setsuna shook her head from behind Makie and tried to get something out as she quickly glanced over to Konoka unnoticed. "No...Makie is my partner...I...I..."

"I'm her girlfriend..." said Konoka sternly as she also stepped up. She sent Setsuna an apologetic smile before turning her attention straight back to the intimidator. "And as for that losers statement you made...pretty sure the only ones I see here are you guys...so if you don't mind, we have a warm up to finish...not that we really need it to beat you guys anyway...there's only so many times a team can be lucky, and it feels like you've already used up all yours..."

"OH HO HO this one's got a right good mouth on her Setsuna..." laughed Tsukuyomi as she brushed past Konoka and leaned in towards the defenseman. "You sure know how to pick 'em don't ya?"

Setsuna actually laughed at this last comment, causing her two companions as well as the rest of the Warrior's who were slowly moving in, to look at her questioningly. The defenseman then looked up to her old team mate with dark, calm eyes. "Well I mean...I did date you didn't I? If you think that Konoka's mouthy...then, what does that make you?"

Konoka's eyes grew wide as shock washed over her upon hearing that her girlfriend had actually dated someone as menacing and horrible as this girl was. She couldn't understand what Setsuna had ever seen in this girl, and slowly began to wonder if Tsukuyomi was one of the reasons for her defenseman to keep the story of her dismissal a secret. So many questions began to fly through the goaltender's mind at that moment that she desperately needed the answer to. She knew that now was definitely not the time or place to ask, but as soon as they got back to school that night she was going to sit Setsuna down and get her to tell her everything.

Tsukuyomi gritted her teeth angrily at the defenseman's last comment until she noticed the look of anger coming at her from Konoka. She then decided that it was time to have a little fun with her old team mate at the expense of the defenseman's new girlfriend in order to get back at her; plus, she didn't like how the chocolate haired bitch was talking to her. She moved in closer and reached out to touch Setsuna's arm in an almost playful manner, causing Setsuna to freeze up. "Oh come on now Sets...is that any way to talk to the first girl you've ever hooked up with? We had some pretty good times...remember that one time after practice back in first year when we skipped all our classes that day and spent the whole time back at my room?"

Setsuna could feel her heart breaking as she heard a sharp and painful sounding gasp from Konoka. She should have known that Tsukuyomi would pull something like this; it was what she was known for. The defenseman tore her arm away from her ex girlfriend and stared her down. "...That's enough Tsukuyomi..."

"Oooo, or that other time where we snuck off during the team training session at the gym to have some fun in the showers..." pressed on Tsukuyomi as if she didn't hear the warning coming from Setsuna.

"Seriously...enough..." warned the defenseman for a second time.

Tsukuyomi smiled seductively as she went in for the kill. "...And then there was that one time a month before you left the team last year, where we spent the night at your room and after all of the fun we had...you told me that you loved me..."

All eyes instantly fell on Setsuna as the Warriors took in everything the Demon leader was saying. It quickly occurred to them that their defenseman was being humiliated right in front of them by the team they had thought she was still attached to. Knowing the kind of person Setsuna was, the girls began to realize that she was telling the truth when she said she didn't want anything to do with her old team. Asuna felt guilty for reacting the way she did on the bus, and began to feel anger creep through her as she watched Tsukuyomi handle Setsuna like a toy in front of Konoka. She had to keep calm, as acting out now would only cause issues for the rest of her team.

Meanwhile, Setsuna felt like she was about to snap upon hearing her ex girlfriend say all of these things just to mess around with her new relationship. She could only imagine how Konoka felt, or even what she was thinking right now with all of this new information being thrown at her. Everything Tsukuyomi was saying was true; she was the defenseman's first and the two of them had spent a lot of time sneaking off together. It was also completely true that after that one night, Setsuna had told Tsukuyomi that she loved her; but things change. She was hoping that Konoka was able to see through her ex girlfriends ploys at trying to get her angry. Looking over to the goalie, she felt somewhat relieved to see that Konoka was staring down the Demon leader instead of sending murderous looks towards her.

Konoka was staring down the irritating girl with everything she had. Clearly this girl didn't know who she was messing with as the goalie knew her way around girls like this. If Tsukuyomi wanted to play dirty, then she would just have to play right back. She smirked and moved closer to Setsuna, taking her hand into her own as both teams looked on. "Setsuna told you she loved you huh?" she began as she played with Setsuna's fingers, causing the defenseman to watch her questioningly. "It's funny...the things a girl will say when they have some skank's face between their legs..."

"What the hell did you just say to me?" replied the leader with an eye twitch.

"I'm sorry...was I not loud enough for you?" asked Konoka as she moved closer. "Cause...I'd be more than happy to repeat it for you..."

Setsuna quickly stepped between the two girls, sensing that what Konoka meant by repeat was actually more of a physical threat than telling the ex girlfriend what she had just said. "Enough...we don't need this Konoka...let's take them out on the ice instead of here...alright?"

Konoka smiled at Setsuna before shooting a glance to the fuming Demon leader behind her. "You're right Setsuna...they aren't worth the time. You however...are worth every little bit..." the goalie then moved in quickly and gave the defenseman a long deep kiss, signalling to Tsukuyomi that play time was over...and that nothing she could do would ever tear her away from Setsuna.

Tsukuyomi was livid, but took the challenge in stride as she smirked at the pair as well as the team behind them. "Looks like we'll just have to settle all of this out on the ice...see you out there Sets...hope you and your losers like the feeling of falling on your asses...cause that's where you'll spend the game..."

With that, she shot one last look to Konoka before turning and making her way back to the arena with her team mates. The rest of the girls that were left standing on the lawn were quiet as they processed everything that had just happened. Not only was their reputation on the line with this game; but now Konoka's pride and Setsuna's sanity were hanging in the balance. It was clear that they needed to put all of their focus into the next three periods of play.

Asuna took a deep breath and stepped towards her two friends. She looked to Setsuna and scratched the back of her head as she tried to find the words she needed to say. Finally with a small sigh, the red head had them come to her. "Listen Setsuna...about what happened on the bus earlier...I'm sorry for blowing up at you over the sock and finding out about your old team. After what just happened now, I should have known that when you said you weren't a Demon any more...you meant it."

"It's no problem..." began Setsuna as she slowly took her attention away from the goalie who was still staring in the direction the Demons went off in. "I understand the concerns you had...but rest assured that I'm one hundred percent Warrior now..."

"Man I don't blame you now for keeping your old team and that chick a secret..." said Yuna as she made her way up to the smaller group with Kazumi, Ku, and Sayo. "That was some psycho bitch Setsuna...you really went out with that?"

Setsuna sighed and nodded. "Yeah...but let's not worry about that now...we have a game to win...and by the sounds of it, we're in for a rough one..."

As the girls all mumbled in agreement, they made their way back to the arena and into their dressing room to get suited up. Before they stepped back in through the main doors, Setsuna grabbed a hold of Konoka's hand and pulled her to the side. She needed to talk with the goalie about a few things before hitting the ice. The defenseman smiled at her girlfriend and held her hand tightly, relaxing more and more ever second as Konoka returned the smile.

"I'm sorry all this happened today...especially everything that went down with Tsukuyomi..." she said in a weak voice. Setsuna continued to hold onto the goalie's hand. "This wasn't how I wanted things to come out...and if you'll let me, I really wanna tell you everything about what happened last year tonight when we get back to the dorms..."

Konoka leaned in and kissed the defenseman gently on her lips before coming back with a warm smile. "I'm sorry too...I sort of went overboard there talking to her...but I just couldn't handle the way she was toying with you."

Setsuna smiled and let out a small laugh. "I'm glad you stepped in...Tsukuyomi always seemed to go too far...it was about time someone took her down a notch or two...I was just worried you'd be upset with everything she was saying about...well...what we used to be..."

"Setsuna...unless it's sports related, I don't care about the past." She replied as she rolled her eyes. Truth was, it did sort of bug her that Tsukuyomi had done things with her girlfriend that she had yet to do. Konoka wasn't usually one for it, as she was used to playing around, but for the first time the goalie felt a surge of jealousy run through her. Despite knowing that the Demon leader was out of the picture, she couldn't help but feel a little threatened. She would have to do something to make sure Setusuna forgot all about that psycho. She then smirked and moved closer to Setsuna, leaning into her ear as she did; why not start with a little play? "...But you know...I'm just gonna have to come up with a better little name for you...Sets...cute, but it needs a little something..."

Setsuna felt her whole body shiver as the goalie brought her lips down onto her ear. A blush spread across her face when Konoka brought her tongue gently over the outer rim of the defenseman's ear. As Setsuna's head continued to spin, the goalie backed off and giggled as she took in sight of her flustered girlfriend. She then grabbed the defenseman's hand and pulled her towards the dressing room, Setsuna still unable to say anything as her mind was racing a mile a minute. Once calmed down, Setsuna laughed inside her head as she thought about what was going on with her girlfriend.

_I think...I think Konoka may be feeling a little threatened by Tsukuyomi...she's doing her best to hide it but...she wants to protect her property...ha! I'm her property...that's kind of funny...never would have guessed someone with a reputation like Konoka's would ever feel threatened when it came to other girls... _

Meanwhile down the opposite hallway at the dressing room of the Kyoto Prep Demons, the girls were starting to lace up their skates quietly talking amongst each other over what had happened outside. Despite trying her best to ignore it, captain Tsukuyomi began to grumble to herself as she pulled her skate laces tighter. She had been humiliated, not only in front of her own team, but also in front of that pathetic defenseman and her new team by that mouthy goaltender. The captain was not one for feeling this way, and was starting to focus on how to go about getting her revenge on the Warriors' goalie. She would start with this game, that was step one; but she knew that if she really wanted to cause some damage, she would have to do whatever it took to make it look like Setsuna was hers.

"Hey Tsuki...what are we gonna do about this team?" asked one of the forwards sitting across the room. The rest of the team all looked up towards their captain, interested in what her response would be. "You know we just barely beat them last time...and now that they have Setsuna...say what you want about her personality and style of play...but she is really good..."

Tsukuyomi finished tying her skate and sighed irritably before standing up and looking around the room at her team mates. "...We do what we always do...keep an eye on the refs...I don't want any of those losers to leave here today without feeling some kind of pain..."

/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/

The buzzer went off signalling the end of warm up, and the Warriors quickly picked up all the pucks before coming back to the bench. Negi and Coach Takamichi where already standing on the bench, taking in the feeling running rampant through their girls. It was as if each girl was bursting with flames of hot determination; easily seen by all during their warm up, which caused some of the crowd members to question their home team's odds for this game. Takamichi leaned in closer to the group with his own serious look. He knew how badly his team had wanted a chance for revenge from last year, and now here it was.

"Alright girls, let's start this game off with a bang!" he began as he watched his girls nod in agreement. "I want Asuna's line out there with Makie and Setsuna protecting our blue line...get out there girls, and show them how lucky they were last time!"

"YES SIR!" yelled the team in response as they hoped on the bench or made their way to center ice.

It had become customary ever since that first game for Setsuna and Makie to skate down to the net with Konoka whenever they were on the starting line. They waited for the goalie to throw her water bottle on top of her net and lower her helmet back down over her face before moving in and giving their final words before the game. As usual Makie would tap her fist with Konoka's blocker and skate off with a salute to join the others, leaving Setsuna with a few extra seconds to make sure everything was set.

"How you feeling Konoka?" asked Setsuna with a slight hint of worry in her voice.

As it got closer and closer to game time, the defenseman began to feel the pressure of having to perform above and beyond her regular play to prove to her old team that she was better off without them. She was also feeling extremely nervous about Tsukuyomi and what her plans were for this game; Setsuna seemed to remember some rather distasteful ideas her ex girlfriend had had when it came to style of play. Looking at Konoka now, she had an overwhelming urge to do whatever it took to protect her. She wasn't about to let the Demons come in and do anything to hurt her goaltender girlfriend.

Konoka caught the nerves coming from her defenseman and smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine Setsuna...no need to worry alright?"

Setsuna sighed; despite the goalie's attempts to calm her, she knew better than to give in to such a suggestion when they were up against these guys. "I'll try not to...but please, keep your head up when you cover the puck ok? I won't always be on the ice to help you...and their forwards like to use their sticks whenever they can..."

"You too Setsuna..." replied Konoka as her own nerves seemed to settle in. She shook them away as best she could as she looked into Setsuna's eyes. "...I feel like you're the one who's going to be the target today..."

Setsuna laughed lightly as she tapped Konoka's goalie pad with her stick, allowing for her to do the same to her shin in return. "Will do miss...I'll see you after the first..." she then saluted in her usual way before pivoting and skating off to center to join the rest of the team.

Asuna had just finished her loop around their half of center ice to tap Yuna and Kazumi's sticks to check if they were ready before she slowly made her way to the face off. She wasn't surprised to once again, be lined up in front of that girl from outside earlier; the red head had vaguely recognised her from playing them last year. She still couldn't believe that someone who was as calm and down to earth as Setsuna was could have been with this kid. She looked up and caught sight of Tsukuyomi staring at her with a wild, menacing smirk spread across her face. The ex captain let out a small laugh, causing the girl in front of her to furrow her brows in anger.

"So that's why your face looks so stupid..." laughed Asuna as she moved in, about to get ready for the puck to drop. "...man...I hope that Setsuna was the one to break things off...not even a blind girl could love that face..."

"Tough words for someone who's about to get their ass handed to them..." replied Tsukuyomi through gritted teeth. She then sent Asuna the creepiest, darkest smile she had ever seen. "Well...game on..."

With that, the puck left the refs hands and fell to ice. Asuna had made a move to sweep it away on her backhand to pass it off to Makie behind her, but was met with a shoulder to her chest. The ex captain fell down to the ground hard and watched as the psycho Demon captain tapped the puck back to her own defenseman. Tsukuyomi then turned her attention back briefly to the red head on the ground, once again smirking at her before taking off up the ice towards the Warrior's net. Asuna cursed under her breath as she quickly forced herself up off the ice and took off after her.

_So they're gonna play it like that are they? That's fine...we just gotta keep calm and get the job done...besides, that's what T.O.T is for...I think they'll be more than happy to have a little fun today..._

The Demons managed to get a shot off from high in the Warrior's end, but it went wide and just missed the net. Konoka's head was on a swivel as she followed the puck intently, keeping an eye on the other team as she yelled that there was a man on Makie. The Pink haired defenseman had quickly swept into the corner to pick up the puck and was now looking for a chance to pass it off to one of her forwards. Just as she managed to send the puck up to Kazumi, Makie was met with a hard check from a Demon forward. She was lifted off of the ice for a brief second by the forward's elbow to her neck before being let go, crashing to the ice as she did. Setsuna's eyes quickly shot in the direction of the ref, and instantly shook her head as he hadn't put his hand up to make a call.

The first period continued on much the same way as the Demon's continued to throw their weight around on the ice. Much to Takamichi's disgust and protesting, the Demon's had only been awarded with one penalty. One of the defenseman had decided to forgo hiding it from the ref and ended up spearing Sakurako hard to her stomach. With such an obvious display, the ref had to blow down the play and send the Demon's defenseman to the box for two minutes. Modoka quickly made her way over to her fallen centerman and helped her up and back to the bench, all the while Sakurako was gasping for the air that had quickly escaped her lungs from the impact of the stick. It wasn't until Evangeline's line hit the ice for the third time, that the game started to become even and more exciting.

The short blonde centerman came bursting onto the ice, followed closely by Chachamaru with Chao falling back slightly to set up their plan of attack. The two quickly made their way down the ice to where a Demon defenseman was waiting behind the net to set up a play. The two Warriors quickly separated at the blue line and made a charge for both sides of the net. Before the girl had time to properly react, Chachamaru checked into her with a hard crash. As her taller line mate held the defenseman against the boards, Evangeline picked the puck up and made a dash for the side of the net with her head up. Chao had managed to sneak her way past the center and second defenseman, and was now waiting in front of the net. With a nice hard pass, the blonde centerman sent the puck to her forward and smirked as she watched Chao's stick sweep down and connect with it. The puck sped through the goalie's legs and landed with a thud on the ice after making contact with the back of the net. The siren sounded and Evangeline and Chachamaru bashed their way through the pissed off Demon players to celebrate with the rest of their team. A loud roar erupted from the bench as Negi proceeded to bounce up and down with excitement. The Warriors were up one to nothing.

Eventually, the buzzer once again sounded to signal the end of the period allowing for both teams to quickly make their ways to their respective benches. It had been a high paced and rough period, but somehow the Warriors had made it through with little injury. Sakurako had even begun to feel better as the pain from the stick she had taken to her stomach slowly left her. She was up and ready to go as her team mates came to a stop in front of the bench. Takamichi was rubbing at his temples as he slowly paced up and down, contemplating on what he should say to his girls.

"Coach, we're getting man handled out on the boards..." began Akira as she made a grab for her water bottle. "There's only so much longer we'll be able to take it before someone gets seriously hurt..."

"She's got a point sir..." added Ako as she rolled her stiff shoulders. "That last one I took behind the net really did a number on my back...I didn't even think a hit like that was legal..."

The girls all mumbled and agreed as they thought back to Ako being checked at an odd angle from behind before crashing to the ice. Takamichi sighed and stopped pacing as he shot a glance at the three referees standing over at the time box across the ice. "Trust me...it wasn't legal Ako...for some reason these bone heads keep missing every dirty hit these girls make...it's like the Demons are timing their attacks..."

"The only thing we can do girls is to keep our heads and stick with our style of play..." said Negi as he clenched his fist to his chest. "They can't keep up with you when you're away from the boards...let's pick up our pace and play some smart hockey...don't sink to their level no matter what, and I know that we shall prevail!"

The girls all looked at their young coach and stared at him in silence for a few seconds. Then as if planned, they all burst out laughing at the serious and determined look Negi had on his face. It wasn't everyday that the young coach managed to make a good post period speech, and the girls all seemed shocked that he had managed to pull one off. Negi laughed lightly and scratched the back of his neck as Takamichi smiled and shook his head, rather impressed by the words of his young accomplice. He then reached over and ruffled the kid's head before turning his attention back to his girls.

"Alright...just as Negi said girls." He said with a small smile. "Keep your heads on you and pick up the pace...let's play us some smart hockey..."

Tsukuyomi and her line mates were watching the odd laughter and easy going behaviour coming from the Warriors from their own bench. They all scowled and shook their heads as they took in the irritating display, wanting more than anything to get the break over with and step back on the ice. The Demons were pissed that they had managed to have the first goal of the game scored against them. There was no way it should have happened, and the forwards had been laying down some heavy blame on the defensemen who had been on when it happened. The captain hoped over the boards and slowly made her way to center for the start of the second period. She was closely followed by her left wing who had managed to get up to her just as they reached the center circle.

"Tsuki...we gotta score the next one or we're done..." the forward whispered hurriedly as she watched the Warriors begin to make their way over. "...Any ideas?"

Tsukuyomi brushed her off as if she was asking a stupid question. "What do you think we do...we take out the next defenseman we come across and push to the net...what are you, retarded?"

The forward shook her head and apologized for her question before heading off to her spot for the face off. The Demon captain sighed irritably as she slowly came in to the center, glancing behind her and taking in the sight of the team she was leading. Sure this was everything that she had wanted, playing the game with brute force instead of playing around with the puck like a dumbass; but she couldn't help but feel like she was the captain of a bunch of idiots. If she wanted things done right, she would just have to do them herself. She crouched down at the ready in front of a determined looking Akira and got her stick set for the drop. Down came the puck and down came the tall Warrior centerman as Tsukuyomi quickly elbowed her to the face and grabbed the puck.

Tsukuyomi shot down the ice as fast as she could, blowing by an unsuspecting Ako and b-lining it for the net. The only person between her and Konoka was a slightly scared looking Sayo. The Demon captain laughed under her breath, thinking that it was useless for this girl to even think she had a chance to stop what was coming. She began to move to the left, catching Sayo in a fake out before coming back at her with her right shoulder lowered.

Setsuna's eyes grew wide from where she stood on the bench as she watched her ex girlfriend come down on her team mate hard. She quickly leaned over the bench, knowing what was coming, and yelled as loud as she could. "SAYO WATCH OUT!"

Sayo looked up to the yelling Setsuna, but it was too late. Tsukuyomi lunged into her, making it look like a complete accident, and pushed herself and the defenseman hard into the net. Konoka had no idea what was going on, but quickly braced herself for impact as the two girls came crashing into her. As the three fell into the net, the refs hand went up to signal a goal as the puck managed to trickle past the goal line in all the confusion before the net was knocked off. Once she came to a stop, the Demon captain popped up from the mess of limbs on the ice with her arms in the air in celebration of the goal that tied her team up. There was a loud eruption of cheers coming from the crowd and the Demon's bench as the captain and her line skated to their team mates for a round of fist bumps and high fives.

Takamichi lost it and leaned over the boards, yelling at the ref for the ridiculous call he just made. "ARE YOU SERIOUS? THAT WAS BLANTENT GOALIE INTERFERENCE REF! HOW IS THAT A GOAL? THIS IS REDICULOUS!"

The ref made his way over to the bench and gave the coach a stern look. "The puck was over the line before the goalie was touched, the goal stands...one more outburst like that and I'll have to ask you to leave coach..."

"OH HO HO...you got some ner-..." began Takamichi.

Negi reached down from where he was standing on the bench behind the fuming Takamichi. He quickly rested his hand on the older coach's shoulder, causing him to stop mid sentence. "Takahata...think about for a moment...I agree that it was a poor call, but it's one goal...our girl's will get it back, but they need a coach on the bench to do it...please, let this one go..."

Takamichi sighed and gently waved the ref off. "You're right Negi...wouldn't do the girls much good to see this old man get kicked out of a game like this...good lookin out kid, I appreciate it."

The girls all grumbled under their breaths as they changed up the lines. Makie and Setsuna had quickly made their way on the ice to check up on Sayo and Konoka. Aside from Sayo losing a bit of air from her lungs and Konoka feeling a little shaken up, they seemed to be fine. Just to be sure, Makie helped Ako skate her partner back to the bench so that she could sit down and catch her breath. Setsuna stayed behind and looked Konoka over, making sure her girlfriend wasn't just putting on a front after getting attacked by the Demon captain.

"Setsuna, seriously...I'm fine I promise." said Konoka as she grabbed a drink from her bottle.

Setsuna sighed and looked towards the Demon's bench. "I'm sorry Konoka...I just...I can't believe how much they've changed since I left..."

"All the better that you're with us now..." Konoka said with a smile as she tapped the defenseman's arm. "...with me...now let's get this game over with. I wanna win and get home so we can relax together..."

Setsuna was once again joined by Makie down at their end before heading up to center for the face off. The defenseman felt a surge of energy start to pound through her body as she caught sight of Tsukuyomi leaning over her bench. No matter what it took, whenever she was on the ice she would not allow anyone to come near Konoka again. If the Demons wanted a goal so badly, then they would have to suck it up and get it the right way.

The second period went by at a much faster pace compared to the first after Tsukuyomi's goal. The Warriors had taken everything Negi had told them after the first period and put it into practice. The forwards had made sure to keep their heads and keep an eye on their line mates while the defenseman tried their best to avoid the boards as much as possible. Setsuna had taken to coming into the corners on an angle, and since she was shorter than most of her old team mates, she was able to duck under their checks easily. She had even managed to make Tsukuyomi look like a fool late in period when she swooped in from the side and picked the puck off her stick before the Demon captain could react; pivoting and sending her a smirk as she sent the puck up to a waiting Haruna.

As Konoka caught the puck that flew at her in her trapper, the period ended and the Warriors made their way off of the ice to rest up while the zamboni came on for a flood. The girls all sat down in a huff and threw off their helmets; some leaning back against the wall while others either leaned forward to hang their heads or grabbed some floor to lay out on with their legs elevated to rest up. They knew that they had managed to get off rather easily in that last period, and were no doubt in for a surprise over the next twenty minutes. They were still tied up at one a piece, and were itching to get another quick one. They couldn't afford to lose to Kyoto prep again.

Kotaro came around to all of the girls to pick up their water bottles for a refill, while Takamichi walked around the room for a post period talk. "You girls have put in a solid effort last period...sure there was that crap goal at the beginning, but you moved on and did so with some class. All you have to do now is keep that up...keep putting it on strong and we're bound to come up with something soon. I want Sakurako's line to start once we get back out there with Mana and Kaede alright?"

"No problem coach!" called Misa as she high fived Sakurako and Modoka.

"We'll keep an eye on our Konoka..." added Kaede.

"Maybe even take a few of them out along the way..." smiled Mana, feeling a quick playful nudge from her partner as she said it.

Asuna looked over towards Setsuna and noticed that the defenseman was being oddly quiet. Usually whenever they were put into a situation like this, the defenseman was one of the first ones to say something to get the team going; now she just looked like she was caught up inside her own head. The ex captain knew that she was starting to panic about what was to come, as she was the only one in this dressing room right now who knew what the Demons were capable of. Asuna continued to watch her from the corner of her eye, and when the team all started to get up, she stayed behind to grab a quick word with the somber looking defenseman.

"Hey Setsuna...can I talk to you for a minute?" the ex captain asked as she tapped Setsuna on her leg with her stick. "It'll be quick, I promise..."

Setsuna sighed and nodded. "Sure Asuna...what's up?"

The ex captain rolled her eyes as she heard Setsuna try and cover up the worry in her voice, once again trying to pull off being calm. "Look Setsuna...you can cut the calm crap alright...I know that you're getting worried..."

"It's just that...I know what Tsukuyomi is capable of when she's desperate to win..." began the defenseman. "...and I'm not always on the ice to keep an eye out for Konoka..."

Asuna rubbed the back of her neck as she watched her friend. "Yeah...I can see why you're worried...listen, how bout I let all of the others know to watch out for Konoka instead of just focusing on scoring the next goal...we can't get anywhere if she gets hurt right?"

Setsuna smiled as she buttoned up the strap on her helmet. "Thanks Asuna...that'd be great..." she watched as the red head smiled in return, then both of them made their way to the ice.

Once again the game picked up where it left off and the Warriors found themselves battling it out against a new, out for blood Demon team. The speed was just as fast, but it seemed that the Demons adjusted their style of rough play to make up for their lack of foot work. They were now subjecting the Warriors to well timed open ice hits, making sure the ref wasn't paying attention every time and adding the odd jab or elbow as they did. Even Evangeline's line was having a hard time trying to keep up with the checking and were left with missed hits and lost face offs.

Konoka was having the time of her life down in her net, as it was the first opportunity she had all year to feel like she was being challenged. She practically stood on her head as she managed to save every shot that made its' way to her, doing so with an almost effortless flare. It made her feel slightly smug with herself whenever she caught sight of Setsuna's ex' face after saving a shot from her; almost signalling to the psycho looking captain that the goalie was, in every way, better than she was. Konoka could practically feel the frustration radiating off of Tsukuyomi with every passing by she made. It was almost too good; she knew that at some point her team would score another goal and this nut case would finally get a taste of what she deserved. The goalie smiled to herself as she once again cleared a shot off to the corner; as much as she hated Kyoto Prep, they were at least good for keeping her in the game.

It was now very late in period, and the Warriors had managed to finally get a little bit of an upper hand. In an attempt to try and force the odds in their favour, Takamichi decided to use his top rated power play line. Usually, he would have saved this mix in the event of actually having a power play, but he was getting desperate. On his signal, Setsuna and Ku hit the ice on defense with Evangeline, Asuna and Zazie jumping the boards for offence. With only a few minutes left of play, this was their last hope for the winning goal. As soon as she hit the ice, Evangeline made for the Demon player with the puck, forcing her into making a move. Panicking, the girl threw the puck down the ice in an attempt to hand it off to her forward linemate; only to have it picked off by Ku. The defenseman made a quick and graceful pivot forwards and looked up the ice. She noticed that Asuna was having a little trouble getting open as Tsukuyomi automatically glued herself to the ex captain, knowing that she was bound to get the pass. Ku quickly refocused and decided to make a partner pass over to the open Setsuna. The raven haired defenseman easily picked up the pass and swooped backwards just below their blue line, scanning the ice for an opening. Just as she was about to move the puck up to Evangeline, Setsuna smiled as Zazie made her appearance wide open at the Demons's blue line.

The silent forward lifted her stick to signal for a pass, and Setsuna was more than happy to hand it to her. Instantly Zazie made a sharp turn towards the net as the puck connected with her stick. She turned on the gas, and practically flew down towards the surprised looking Demon goaltender. Zazie rolled the puck from forehand to backhand, keeping her head up the entire time and not so much as flinching in any way to give herself away. As she got closer, she kept her ears open for any chance to confuse the goalie with an unexpected play. Asuna was still rapped up with the captain and Evangeline was too far off to the side keeping the defensemen at bay to be of any immediate help. Setsuna and Ku were hot on her trail behind her, the latter getting too excited over the opportunity and moving in as a temporary forward while Setsuna held back. At the last moment, Zazie quickly tapped the puck between her legs to an awaiting Ku who slammed her stick down for a one timer shot. The crowd all made a surprised yet relieved groan as the small piece of black rubber rang off of the top of the crossbar. Ku cursed aloud as she watched the puck sail through the air and off to the side, completely mocking her for her attempt.

Tsukuyomi's eyes grew wide as she forcefully pushed Asuna down to the ground and saw the puck coming her way. She put everything she had into the next four strides she gave and quickly came up on it. With a sharp turn and a hard push from her outer foot, the Demon captain picked up the puck and started to fly down the ice towards Konoka. There was a murderous look in her eyes as she felt herself come closer and closer to the net. With just over a minute left to play, this would most likely be her last chance at winning for her team.

Setsuna tore form her spot at the Demon's blue line and b-lined it for her ex girlfriend. Like a flash, she was right at Tsukuyomi's side and was trying desperately to push her off her path to the net. The captain wasn't having it and sent the defenseman her own shoulder in return. It had now turned into a battle of wills and strength as the two approached Konoka; who had come out to challenge the shot in case Setsuna was unable to clear her away. Tsukuyomi groaned and gave a final nudge with her elbow, giving her just enough room away from Setsuna to raise her stick up. She quickly fired off a shot and watched it sail hard a few feet above the ice.

Konoka quickly dropped down to her knees and cushioned the puck into her chest gear. She instantly threw her trapper and blocker op to her chest to hold it in place, insuring it wouldn't drop down for a rebound. Unfortunately, the goalie lost her balance in the process and fell forward. She had managed to keep the puck with her but was now left with the back of her head wide open. A wild gleam made its' way over Tsukuyomi's features as she spotted a tantalizing opportunity for a little pay back. As the ref's whistle blew to signal the play to stop, since Konoka had the puck covered, the Demon captain ignored it and continued in fast towards her. She lifted her stick to shoulder level, and yelled as she brought it down hard towards Konoka's waiting skull.

"KONOKA NO!" yelled Setsuna as she saw Tsukuyomi's stick rise into the air.

It happened so fast that not even Tsukuyomi could comprehend what had happened. Setsuna took three hard strides forwards, pushing her hard upon the scene. The defenseman lunged out in front of the Demon captain and managed to get herself between her and her girlfriend. With a sickening crack, Tsukuyomi's stick came down hard on Setsuna's shoulder, causing her to yell out in pain just before she came crashing down onto the ice. The defenseman landed on that same shoulder and once again yelled out as she felt her shoulder pop out of place.

Before Tsukuyomi could react and make a second attempt, the rest of the Warriors who were on the ice were on her; jumping at her and forcing her to the ground before she could cause any more problems. They were met by the other Kyoto Prep players who rushed in to defend their captain by mixing it up. Konoka threw off her helmet and was down on the ice at Setsuna's side in an instant, cringing as she watched her protector clutching at her shoulder in pain.

"Setsuna! Oh my gods...Setsuna are you ok?" said Konoka in a panicked voice as she made to touch the defenseman's arm.

"Gah!...Y-yeah...I'm alright miss..." breathed out Setsuna with a bit of a forced smile. "...Just...just a little bruising is all..."

Konoka looked at her girlfriend angrily. "Setsuna, your shoulder is popped out of place...that's more than just some bruising! What were you thinking! You didn't have to do that!"

Setsuna laughed lightly as she continued to clutch at her shoulder, looking into the big brown eyes above her. "...Of course I had to do it Konoka, she was going to hurt you...as your protector...I...I couldn't let that happen...there was no time for thinking, only time for doing miss..."

Konoka's heart jumped to her throat upon hearing the defenseman's words. She had never had anyone risk themselves like this for her before, and was at a loss for words. All she could do was smile down at her favorite defenseman who, despite the burning flashes of pain radiating through her shoulder and chest, managed to send her one back. The refs had finally managed to break up the scuffle going on between the two teams, which allowed for Takamichi along with Negi and Kotaro to safely slide their way across the ice and over to the two girls. Upon getting there, Takamichi kneeled down and gently reached for Setsuna's shoulder in an attempt to survey the damage. After a few seconds of feeling around her arm under her gear, he removed his hands and shook his head.

"You definitely have a popped out shoulder Setsuna...there's not a whole lot we can do from here..." he said with a sigh.

"What do you mean there's nothing we can do here?" asked Kotaro as he kneeled down beside them. He watched as the coach gave him a questioning look in return. "All you gotta do is pop it back in...hurts like crazy for a few seconds but it's basically as good as new after..."

Negi shook his head as he watched Konoka's face turn whiter than the ice she was kneeling on. "I don't know Kotaro...none of us really know how to do that...what if we end up breaking her arm?"

Kotaro ignored the groan coming from the defenseman and the gasp from the goaltender as he continued. "Bah! It's no problem kid...I've gotten into enough scraps over the years to practically be an expert in popping limbs back to their spots...now Setsuna...I'll just need you to bite down on your glove for a sec ok?"

"Bite my glo-..." began Setsuna before she was interrupted by the manager shoving the glove in her mouth.

"Alright...now just hold still..." he said as he placed his hands in the proper spots. He quickly glanced at the small group around him before saying under his breath. "This is gonna hurt like a bitch..."

The glove seemed useless as Setsuna slammed her eyes shut and bared the situation on her own. There was a long stint of shooting pain all along her upper back and arm before it quickly managed to fade away. Despite the flawless procedure, the defenseman still felt extremely stiff in her shoulder and could barely move it. Takamichi looked it over and decided that despite looking like it had gone back into place, it would be a good idea for her to get it looked at by the nurse when they got back to school. The defenseman nodded and was gently helped up by Konoka and Negi before making her way back to the bench where Asuna and Makie opened up the door for her and helped to sit her down. It turned out that after the fighting was settled, Tsukuyomi got a game misconduct for her obvious attempt to inflict injury. She was given a ten minute major penalty and also received a three game suspension.

The game started back up again, and much to their distaste, the buzzer went off signalling a tie between the Warriors and Demons. The refs had decided to forgo the customary post game hand shake, thanks to the scuffle that had played out, allowing for the girls to quickly make their way back to their dressing room. Once again, Makie and Asuna along with Konoka helped their still injured defenseman across the ice and into the dressing room. Setsuna was more than happy to finally sit down and relax, slowly taking her gear off as the girls all buzzed with comments around the dressing room. They had sent her many cheers of thanks and appreciation for sacrificing herself for the good of the team, as well as the well being of their goaltender. Setsuna blushed slightly as Sakurako's line went on and on about her being like a knight in shining armour, coming to the rescue of the team's resident princess. Even Haruna and Sayo joined in, adding a very bad and off key song they were throwing together.

Konoka just sat there in a happy silence and listened to everyone around her. She still couldn't get over what had happened and was replaying the event over again in her head. She had gotten angry at herself for losing balance and causing the bad opening for Tsukuyomi to attack, especially after Setsuna had warned her to keep her head up whenever she covered the puck. Every time she started to become angry with herself though, the image of the defenseman coming to her rescue flashed into her thoughts. Setsuna sacrificed herself for her...in front of her ex girlfriend...showing her that no matter what, she was going to be there for the goalie. She leaned back and glanced over to Setsuna, blushing slightly as she did. The defenseman had managed to catch the goalie looking at her; and when their eyes connected, she sent Konoka a warm, blush ridden smile followed by a playful salute. Her stomach started to flip as she thought about getting back to the dorms and being alone with her favorite defenseman...thanking her for saving her in her own special way...

"Oi guys!" yelled Asuna excitedly from her spot a few girls down. "I just got a text from Ayaka...she says that the volleyball team just won their game today and that they want to celebrate along with our tie...she says there's gonna be a huge party between her, Chizuru, and Natsumi's room and the common room!"

The whole team cheered loud with excitement as the irritated feeling of their tie quickly left them with the mention of a party. Instantly, they all began to remove their gear faster in an attempt to get the drive home started. Konoka however just sat there and sighed, giving a little laugh as she looked back over to her girlfriend.

_Well...looks like that's just gonna have to wait till the party's over...Setsuna deserves to experience one anyway, they are pretty rowdy...I should probably try and talk to her about what happened last year too...yeah...that needs to be dealt with before anything else...time to get to really know my girlfriend..._


	10. Partying With Her Past

**Sorry for the wait guys, but finally after all the papers and group project sI had to do, here's part 10!**

**Let me know what you think! **

**I'll be updating TGMH at some point here soon...hopefully before finals start. If not I'll try to do my best to make time for one.**

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**Partying With Her Past**

Despite ending the game against their biggest rivals with a tie, the girls of the Mahora Warriors had already forgotten about the game as they all excitedly whispered about the party later that night with each other. They couldn't wait to finally get back to the dorms and join the volleyball team and the rest of their class, as it had been quite a while since they all got together to celebrate. Probably the most excited of the bunch were Kazumi and Haruna. They had been trying to throw a party for weeks now, only to fail due to stacks of homework being thrown at their class as well as awkward timing between games and training times. This weekend was the first since school began that everyone could get together without having to worry about getting their work done. At the moment, the two forwards were huddled at the back of the bus close together, whispering things quickly to one another as Kazumi kept thumbing at her cell phone. They had to make sure they weren't overheard by the coaches, or else their plans would fall through.

Setsuna caught sight of the two girls from the corner of her eye as she leaned back in her seat. She turned her head a little more and scrunched her face up with a questioning look before leaning over the aisle and tapping Asuna on the leg. She waited for the ex captain to stop talking with Yuna before she asked her question. "Hey...what exactly are those two talking about back there?"

Asuna smirked and sighed as she shook her head. "Trust me Setsuna...we're better off not knowing...but if I had to guess, I'd say that they're trying to start something up for the party..."

"Start something up?" asked the confused defenseman. "...what exactly is there to start up?"

"...are you even a teenager Setsuna?" laughed Asuna as she leaned back into her chair, Yuna laughing a little from beside her. "...seriously buddy..."

Setsuna was still puzzled but decided to leave the questions in her head where they were; besides, they were almost back at school now and she didn't want to risk ruining a chance for a party by having them attract the attention of Takamichi or Negi. She would have leaned over and asked Konoka, but once again the goalie was passed out in a deep sleep beside her. The defenseman laughed as she watched her girlfriend slowly breath in and out in perfect time; twitching her noise every so often as she snuggled up to Setsuna's arm. It had been a long day for her, what with finding out a small portion of Setsuna's past as well as playing the hardest she had all year. The defenseman thought that it was a good idea for the goalie to catch a bit of rest on their drive home so that she would be all ready for the party tonight. She still couldn't believe that the "Princess of the Warriors hockey team" could get as jealous as she had after learning about the defenseman's past with Tsukuyomi. Setsuna thought for sure if she hadn't stepped in back when they were doing their warm up, that Konoka would have jumped the Demon captain and beat the crazy out of her. Setsuna felt a surge of happiness flow through her upon this realisation; it had been the first time she'd seen anyone be willing to defend her.

Setsuna's face flushed slightly with a blush as she watched Konoka's eyes slowly open and look up at her from their spot on the defenseman's arm. She wasn't expecting the goalie to wake up so soon, and had been basically staring at her while she slept. She cursed in her head as she imagined how creepy she probably looked to the goaltender and quickly looked down to the floor in an attempt to make it look like their eyes met by chance. She stopped however, when she heard the soft, sweet giggle of her girlfriend meet her ears. Setsuna blinked before returning her attention back to the goalie, who was now looking at her with a devious smile on her face.

"What's s-so funny Konoka?" asked Setsuna with a slight nervous quiver to her voice. She was hoping more than anything that Konoka hadn't noticed her looking at her while she slept, but already knew it was for nothing.

Konoka now shrugged her shoulders playfully as she decided that it may be fun to toy with her favorite defenseman. "...just thinking that this is what it must feel like to have a stalker..."

Setsuna's eyes went wide as she completely missed the sound of mocking in the goaltender's voice. She immediately began apologizing. "I-I'm so sorry Konoka...I didn't m-mean to! I just couldn't help it..." The defenseman then mumbled something under her breath as she looked away with the blush from earlier still formed.

Konoka leaned in closer. "I'm sorry Setsuna...what was that last part? I couldn't really catch it?"

"I said...I said that you just looked so cute sleeping it was hard to not look..." whispered Setsuna almost ashamed.

Konoka rolled her eyes as she giggled again. "I was just kidding about the stalker thing..." she then moved in to kiss Setsuna on her warm cheek, smiling as she felt the signature freeze up. "...and you're really sweet, you know that?"

Setsuna smiled as she eventually relaxed again. "It's no problem miss...I...I was just telling the truth is all..."

"Well thank you..." replied Konoka as she snuggled back into the defenseman's arm. She shivered a little as she realized her skin felt colder than that of Setsuna's.

Setsuna being as perceptive as she was, felt the small odd movement and quickly acted on it before Konoka even had time to say anything. The defenseman reached down into her small gym bag at her feet and grabbed a hold of her team hoody. She quickly brought it up and wrapped it around the surprised goalie like a blanket; being sure Konoka's arms were comfortably covered before sending her a smile.

"There...now you can continue on with your nap comfortably..." whispered Setsuna. "You need all the rest you can get if you want to have fun at the party...and to hear all about what happened with me and Kyoto Prep last year..."

Konoka smiled back as she heard the last part of Setsuna's sentence. She had almost forgotten about having a talk with the defenseman about her past since getting on the bus and listening to the rest of the girls get excited over the night ahead of them. "You're right...I guess I should nap a little more..."

Konoka watched as Setsuna nodded approvingly to her before turning her attention to Asuna, who had tapped her on the arm. The goalie snuggled deeper into the defenseman's arm and pulled the hoody closer around her, breathing deeply as she did. The hoody smelt exactly like Setsuna, causing her to feel warm all over as she thought about how great and caring the defenseman was towards her. Her eyes once again stared to close as thoughts about her talk with Setsuna filled her mind. She couldn't wait to finally get to really know her girlfriend...and the chance at some alone time was just the thing to top it all off...

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The party was already in full swing by the time the team changed and showed up at their floor's common room. The music was pounding, their classmates were laughing and talking, there were even some girls from the other floors joining in on the fun. The hockey girls were greeted by everyone with cheers and whoops of excitement, happy that they had managed to come back to the school without adding a loss to their stats. The girls broke out among the room or made their way over to Ayaka's room to talk with their other friends. Setsuna had come in with Konoka, Makie, Asuna, and Yuna and was now looking around the room. She had noticed that the two sketchy planning forwards were still missing and was growing more and more interested on what it was they were up too. Despite only having the pleasure of knowing Haruna and Kazumi for only a short period of time, Setsuna knew one very important thing about the two; they had a knack for getting up to no good. Fortunately for the defenseman, her questions were answered when the two girls burst into the room; hauling a large stuffed gear bag and a bulky looking knapsack.

"Haruna...where the hell have you two been?" asked Asuna as she took in the sight of triumph coming from her team mates. "As soon as the bus stopped, it's like the two of you vanished or something..."

Haruna pushed back her glasses and smirked at her accomplice before answering. "We were out taking care of a few things...you're all welcome by the way..."

"Welcome for what?" asked Yuna, sounding just as confused as Setsuna felt.

"For being the heroes of this party, that's what..." replied Haruna.

The two girls laughed as they saw all of the girls in the common room turn to them with the same questioning look. Finally, Kazumi couldn't hold it in anymore so she bent down and began to unzip the bags. "Thanks to my sources...this party's about to bump up a few notches...move all your asses and fill up some glasses girls...time to booze it up!"

The excited forward came back up, hands full with two large bottles of vodka and tequila. There was a loud cheer throughout the room as some of the other team mates moved in to help the two girls set up everything on the nearest table. Setsuna's eyes grew wide as bottle after bottle and case after case of various hard liquors and beer stacked up in front of her. Aside from the question of how her two team mates came about getting this much alcohol, the defenseman also had the nagging question of how Haruna and Kazumi could afford it all. She turned to Konoka and was about to ask when she was greeted with a laugh.

"You're about to ask how these two could afford all of this aren't you?" asked the goalie. She watched as Setsuna nodded at her with a surprised look. "It's kind of cool actually...both Haruna and Kazumi make extra money outside of school. Kazumi writes little articles for the newspaper and Haruna is a published manga artist and writer...they both make a ton of cash over the breaks and summer holidays."

"You're kidding?" asked the defenseman bewildered.

"Nope...it's true." replied Konoka with a smile as she crossed her arms. "I even heard that Kazumi got offered a job as a journalist after she graduates without even having to go through university, she's really good at what she does...and Haruna isn't planning on going either...you should read her stuff sometime..."

Setsuna smiled as she watched the two girls in question grin at each other and give one another high fives. "Already have their future's planned out huh? That's really cool..."

Setsuna gulped as she quickly realized that she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life upon graduating from high school. She couldn't believe that two trouble makers like Kazumi and Haruna already had everything figured out. The defenseman then began to feel a surge of pride fill her chest from having the opportunity to share the ice with two girls who had set goals in life. The feeling quickly left however, when she saw the two of them filling up glasses over halfway with rum before adding a bit of mix and throwing it back down their throats.

_I guess no matter how mature Haruna and Kazumi can seem when it comes to thought out futures, they're still just reckless kids like the rest of us..._

Word spread to Ayaka's room about there being drinks, and soon every girl on the floor had something in their hands. It took a little convincing from Asuna and Yuna, but eventually Setsuna gave in to peer pressure and had grabbed a few bottles of beer to drink. The defenseman was no stranger to alcohol, as she had been to many parties during vacations from school and to celebrate the end of another hockey year; but usually she tried her best to stay away from it while hockey was still in season. It was hard to train with a hangover, and the defenseman wasn't really a fan the sloshy feeling she got from drinking too much.

The team was starting to get rowdy as the buzz started to set in. Sakurako and her line mates along with Ako broke out the gear for rock band Madoka had in her room for the common room's Playstation, and were now belting out song after song while some of the other's cheered them on or joined in singing. Mana had challenged Kaede to an arm wrestling match over in the corner of the room, and was now putting her all into not being shown up her defense partner. Kaede just sat there, not so much as breaking a sweat as she grinned and watched the hard look of determination spread over Mana's face; she was oddly patient for a girl her age. T.O.T were busy hustling money from the others in a high stakes game of poker, Evangeline laughing deviously every time she lay down a winning hand and pulled in the pile of cash from the center of the table.

Setsuna was laughing along with Konoka at a joke Makie had just told them when she noticed their tall blonde class representative and captain of the volleyball team make her way towards them. "Hey Ayaka...what's up? Congrats or your win today!" she said as the rep came to a stop when she reached their small group.

"Thanks Setsuna!" replied Ayaka happily as she sent a smile to her newest class mate. She then became serious as she turned her attention to Konoka. "Hey...could I ask you something?"

Konoka nodded. "Sure...what's up?"

"Well..." began the blonde. "It's just...does Asuna like anyone at the moment?"

Makie's head snapped towards Ayaka. "Asuna? Don't tell me you have a thing for her Ayaka...I thought you had a mad crush on that kid teacher of ours..."

Ayaka huffed and crossed her arms. "He is not a child...he's a brilliant young man...that being said, a girl has needs...and unlike most of you I swing both ways..."

"Oh geeze here we go..." laughed Makie. "You sure it's not the booze talking Ayaka?"

Konoka and Setsuna laughed quietly as the class rep shot the pink haired defenseman a look. "No it is not just the booze...it's true. Asuna and I have been friends for a long time now...and truth be told...I've always sorta had a thing for her..."

Konoka smiled and reached out to pat Ayaka on her shoulder. "I like the idea of the volleyball captain hooking up with the hockey captain...ex hockey captain..."

"You just like the idea of girls hooking up in general..." laughed Kazumi as she popped up behind the goaltender, earning her a swift punch to the arm. "Geeze Konoka...what's with you and my arm?"

Konoka playfully stuck out her tongue before turning back to Ayaka. "Anyway...to answer your question, no, Asuna doesn't have her mind set on anyone right now...I say go for it!"

"Yeah, I'm sure Asuna wouldn't say no to you." added Setsuna.

"Do it up!" smiled Makie.

Ayaka laughed a little and nodded. "Alright...I'll give it a tr-..."

The class rep's words halted as she caught sight of the ex captain in question making her way towards them. Asuna had a beer in hand and her sights set directly on Setsuna. Ever since finding out about Setsuna's old team, the red head desperately wanted to hear about what happened concerning the usually calm defenseman's hasty dismal. She knew that there was a chance of Setsuna telling Konoka all about sometime tonight during the party, and decided that now was as good a time as ever to get the story going. She saw her class rep standing in with her team mates and smiled at her with a nod of acknowledgement before returning her complete attention on Setsuna.

"Oi Setsuna...can I grab you, Konoka, Makie and Kazumi for a minute outside?" she asked as she made to grab another beer. She watched as the small group looked at her in confusion as Ayaka seemed to just look away from her. "It's really important guys...seriously..."

Setsuna looked around at the others and shrugged as they one by one nodded. "Yeah...I guess we can come with you...what's this about?"

"Just come on..." replied the ex captain as she started towards the door. "...I'll tell you along the way..."

The small group of Warriors made to follow their ex captain, Konoka turning back to mouth sorry to Ayaka with an apologetic look as she tagged along. They had all just made it outside the door when the girls came to a slamming stop behind Asuna. The ex captain had suddenly halted and put her hand to her chin as she looked up and down the hallway. She ignored the cursing and groans coming from her team mates who had just recently become acquainted with the hard floor, and tried to think of a good spot to sit down and talk. Just as suddenly as stopped, Asuna made off again, this time towards Ayaka's dorm room. As the class rep and as someone who shared a dorm room with two others, Ayaka had the largest room set up on the whole floor. The red head didn't want to draw attention to their leaving, so she figured the best way to go about things was to make their way through the party and into the blonde's room. The group quickly made their way to Asuna's planned destination, all still wondering what the hell was going on as they watched their ex captain smile and wave off anyone who called out to them. They finally came to a stop inside Ayaka's room, Asuna closing the door behind them.

"Asuna...what the hell are we doing in here?" asked Kazumi as she made herself comfortable on Ayaka's bed. "...and what exactly is so important that you had to drag us away from everyone else?"

Asuna turned around to face her irritated looking team mates. "Look...we had a rough day today and none more so than Setsuna. I know that you were planning on telling Konoka anyway...so do you think that you could tell us too...about what happened between you and your old team?"

Setsuna looked shocked that this had been the reason for the ex captain to drag them all here. She should have known this was coming as she had agreed to let at least three of them know she would tell them about everything when she felt ready. She sighed and made her way to a couch across from the side of Ayaka's bed. The defenseman sighed and lowered her head, feeling the eyes of the others on her. She took a drink from the beer she had managed to save from the floor when she fell before looking back up at them.

"Alright..." she said with another sigh. "...everyone sit down and...I'll tell you everything that happened between me...and the demons..."

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**~About One Year Ago~**

Setsuna had gotten up early that day in order to get a good solid run in before heading off to Kyoto Prep's gym for a hard work out. It had been quite some time since she had last put in this much effort for training, but lately she felt like she really needed it. It was hard to explain, but for some reason, the defenseman felt like she was losing support from the rest of her team. She swore that they had been looking at her differently over the last month and some of the girls she was closest with even seemed to give her looks of either annoyance or pity. Setsuna figured that it had to be because she was falling behind in setting a good example; she had been spending a lot of time Tsukuyomi over the last year or so and seemed to let that relationship have first dibs over her time. Maybe if she started picking it up, she could win them back to her side. They had a big game tonight, so now was as good a time as any to show them she deserved to be their captain.

Later that day, Setsuna was walking back to her room after class to put her things away before the heading to the rink for the game. She was excited to get out on the ice and show how good of a leader she could be. The defenseman was extremely calm and patient, and worked very well under intense situations on the ice. She strived to lead her team in the right direction by enforcing good, clean hockey; she hated it when they played against cheap, dirty teams who relied on taking out people instead of taking the puck to the net. She could tell at times that some of the girls found this style of play frustrating, but knew in the end they thought it was best. She was just about to make her way up the front steps to the dorms when she heard her name being called from a few feet behind her. She smiled as she recognized the voices of two of her senior players.

"Oi Setsuna! Hold on for a second would you?" called out one of her forwards.

"Yeah...please wait up!" called out her defense partner.

Setsuna stopped and turned around just as the two girls came up to her. "Yeah, what's up Takane, Mei?"

The forward Takane gave her a serious look as she finally came to a stop with Mei panting as she came up beside her. "Look...can we talk to you for a minute at your place...it's really important...and Mei and I feel like it's gone on for too long."

"O...ok..." said Setsuna as she looked at them with an odd confused face. "Let's go up to my room then."

The girls then quickly made their way up to the defenseman's room, Takane and Mei constantly looking around nervously. They finally got inside, and Setsuna made her way to her mini fridge to grab a bottle of water before plopping herself down on the couch. She started to drink, stopping as she noticed her two closest friends on the team, aside from her girlfriend Tsukuyomi, still standing and looking like they were guilty of murder. She waved them in to join her, and both nervously sat down on the small couch across from her.

It was quiet for a few moments before Setsuna cleared her throat and moved to the edge of her seat, placing her water down on the coffee table in front of her. "Soooo...what's up guys...why do you look so nervous?"

"Well..." began Takane as she shifted in her seat. "It's just...we feel really guilty about the whole thing...we should have came to you awhile ago...but we were scared of what they might do..."

Setsuna raised her eyebrow out of curiosity. "Scared of who? What's going on guys, come on..."

Mei fidgeted with her thumbs before slamming her hands down in her lap. "...I...I should have said something anyway...I'm you defense partner, it was my responsibility!"

"Enough guys please...just tell me what's wrong, ok?" smiled the captain. "I promise I won't be mad at you."

"I just need to know one thing first..." replied Takane, now looking up to her captain with sad yet determined eyes. Despite being older and in her last year of high school, the forward saw Setsuna as someone she could look up to, someone she could count on when she was in need. It was for this reason that she felt horrible for being a coward and keeping everything she knew secret for so long. She continued to look at her confused captain, hoping that the answer she gave her was different than what she expected. "...did you...tell Tsukuyomi that you loved her?"

Setsuna squinted her eyes in an attempt to hide her blush. Her mind flew back to that day a month ago when she had Tsukuyomi spend the night in her room, and after a long night of heated play in the sheets, she had indeed told the girl in question that she loved her. She was doing everything she could to not give herself away, but Takane and Mei knew her too well for the calm act to work on them. The captain then watched as the faces of her two friends fell right before her eyes.

"I had a feeling..." mumbled the forward.

"I was hoping more than anything that you didn't..." added the defense partner. "It would make the next part a little easier to tell you..."

Takane shook her head and decided that it was now or never. "Setsuna...Tsukuyomi has been cheating on you for the last few months now with some of the girls on the team...she's pretty much settled now on hooking up with that oaf Chigusa any chance she can get behind your back!"

"We caught them one time and the two of them threatened us, saying that they'd make our lives a living hell if we ever told you!" added Mei through sobs. "W-we still should have came to you! We should have ignored the threat and came straight to you!"

For the first time Setsuna had any memory of, she felt something twist inside of her. The defenseman was currently feeling a wave of rage course through her upon hearing that the first girl she had ever confessed her true feelings for was running around behind her back; hooking up with their own team mates no less. Even though she could feel the anger coursing through her, Setsuna had to keep a cool head. She wasn't about to let something like this ruin her or the team she had once put so many hours of effort into producing. After a few moments of silence and focusing hard on keeping her feelings deep within her, the defenseman looked up to her now sniffling friends with an attempt at a smile.

"Guys...it's ok..." she said as she saw her partner put her head in her hands in shame. "It's fine, I swear that I'm not upset with you...you were threatened, it's understandable that you would be scared to tell me...please, please stop crying...it breaks my heart to see the two of you so worked up..."

"But Setsuna!" began Mei.

Setsuna put her hand up gently to stop her. "No buts Mei...I appreciate that you guys were able to finally come to me with this...I know how hard it must have been to keep this to yourself for so long."

Takane rubbed her eyes with her sleeve before looking to her captain. "What are you gonna do about Tsuki? You can't let her get away with this Setsuna...she's been making you look like a fool. Everyone on the team knows!"

Again the defenseman felt her insides turn in agony, but managed to pull through straight faced. "...Well, I guess I'll just have to talk to her after the game and end it...I mean, it happens right? Relationship can come and go...it was my first one after all...it wasn't meant to last forever right?"

Mei stared at her partner and felt her heart break as she picked up on a slight break in her captain's voice. She knew that once again, Setsuna was putting on her calm and cool act to hide the fact that she was really hurting inside. "...Setsuna..."

"Really guys...I'm fine alright?" replied the captain. She was about to drop it but for some reason, she couldn't ignore the nagging question eating at the back of her head. She cleared her throat and slid further to the edge of the couch. "Do either of you know why she decided to suddenly up and cheat on me?"

Mei looked quickly at Takane, who shot her a look back before answering. "From what we heard from the rest of the team...it's because Tsuki thinks you're too much of a push over with your whole calm act...she says that she needs more attitude and backbone in the girl she's dating..."

"She also has a huge issue with the style of game we play..." added Mei in an irritated tone. She was completely on Setsuna's side, especially when it came to this issue. "Apparently she holds you responsible for the way our season is going and thinks that we'd win more if we got a little more forceful on the ice..."

Setsuna cursed in her head as she heard the reasons for her girlfriend's cheating. She should have guessed that coming off as calm was going to come back and haunt her; that mixed with the fact that deep down inside she was bashful. She had also heard from Tsukuyomi at least a hundred times since they started dating that they should be a little more rough with teams they played against. Everything was starting to click into place now, and the defenseman was beginning to feel even more like a fool for saying she loved Tsukuyomi. If only she had paid more attention to what was going on around her. Setsuna shook her head and tried her best to clear her mind; she would have to deal with this later, right now they had a game to get to. She once again told her two friends that she was fine, knowing that they most likely didn't believe her, before they picked up their things and made their way to the rink.

Now that Setsuna knew the reason behind the stares and looks she was getting from the rest of her team mates, she couldn't help but feel the anger bubble up again with every pair of eyes that rested on her. As soon as she walked into the dressing room she could feel them. The only thing that was keeping her grounded right now was the fact that she had her reputation to uphold and that she had to worry about what would happen to Takane and Mei if the others found out they had informed her. She quickly sat down at her bag and began to fish around for her warm up clothes, breathing calmly as she did. She was finally starting to feel a little like herself again when her team got up to go outside for their warm up; that is, until Tsukuyomi came striding over to her. The defenseman scowled in her head as she took in the sight of a fake innocent look currently resting, just as it always had, on her soon to be ex's face. What really got her going, was what the forward did next.

Tsukuyomi came to a stop just in front of her before leaning in and kissing the defenseman just as she always did. She then pulled back and looked at Setsuna with that same smile she always gave her. "Hey Sets, I missed you on the walk over today."

_Yeah...yeah I bet you did..._

Setsuna cleared her thoughts before speaking. "Yeah...sorry about that Tsuki...I just had to take care of a few things back in my room before coming to the rink..."

"Oh well, it's fine Sets." said the forward with what Setsuna was now seeing as an over dramatic smile.

"Hey listen Tsuki...after the game..." began Setsuna as she leaned closer and hushed her voice so the others who were left couldn't overhear. "...could I talk to you...it's kind of important..."

Tsukuyomi blinked at her in confusion. "It's Thursday...you know I have my tutoring session tonight with Chigusa...you know...midterms are soon and she can't afford to fail..."

A light flashed in her head as Setsuna finally realized that what Tsukuyomi was doing on Thursday night's with her line mate Chigusa, was far from anything school related. She then began to beat herself down; wondering how it was she could be so stupid, thinking that this whole time her girlfriend was actually doing what she said she was. She was about to get serious and put her foot down to tell Tsukuyomi that she really needed to talk with her when they were interrupted by another girl from the team. The defenseman groaned in her head as Tsukuyomi quickly turned and followed their team mate out the door for warm up. Looks like Setsuna would just have to try right after the game before her girlfriend got away.

The game itself was a hectic one, as the Demons were taking on the second place team just under them in their region. They had varying results when it came to hitting the ice against this team; usually coming out with a win but with the odd tie and a few losses. Currently, the Demons were ahead by a single goal which was set up as a last minute ditch effort scored by Mei upon receiving an unusually horrible pass from Setsuna. Try as she might, the raven haired defenseman couldn't get her head in the game. Her thoughts were still completely wrapped up with Tsukuyomi and everything she had lied to her about. She also couldn't believe that all of her team mates, aside from her partner and her best forward friend, knew and went along with it as if it was perfectly fine.

_What did I ever do to anyone on this team to deserve this treatment? I was a fair and good hearted captain...I worked us all hard and stayed true to the real way to play...do they all agree with Tsukuyomi and want to play rougher and dirtier? Are they trying to build everything up until I found out on my own and quit the team? I can't believe that Tsukuyomi would ever do this to me! I mean, she was the one who was obsessed with me before we even started dating...Hell, she was the one who asked me out! I treated her so well...and this is what I get? A girlfriend who gets around and causes issues between me and the rest of the team...I'm soooooo done with this..._

Setsuna shook her head and tried to refocus on the game as Mei tapped her on the shoulder to signal that they were about to head onto the ice. She nodded and quickly followed her over the boards as the other defensemen came through the door. It was getting late in the game and the other team was starting to pour everything they had into scoring to at least tie the game. It was crunch time, and Setsuna finally felt her heart and head come back to her. She managed to get a hold of the puck down in their end and began to turn and skate up the boards with it to look for a decent breakout pass receiver. Her heart jumped to her throat though, as she noticed that the forwards had managed a quick change, and now Tsukuyomi and Chigusa were calling out to her for the puck. As much as she hated to do it, the defenseman sent a hard pass up to Tsukuyomi before taking off after it. The forward then made her way down the ice as fast as she could; her line mate on her heels just as they were about to hit the blue line. Tsukuyomi raised her stick for a shot, and quickly sent the puck at the goaltender with an odd spin on it. The puck then bounced off of the goalie's shoulder when she dropped down to her knees before rolling back out in front on her. The goalie didn't even have a chance to reach out and cover it before Chigusa swept in and rammed her stick into the puck, forcefully pushing it past the goaltender and into the net. There was a thunderous roar from the crowd and the Demon's bench as the forwards all clambered together in front of the net to celebrate. Reluctantly, but still acting as calm as possible, Setsuna made her way over to them with Mei in order to congratulate them.

It wasn't until Setsuna turned to skate back to the bench for a change, when things all fell apart for her. The defenseman had extremely good and sensitive hearing; it came in handy for plenty of things. Today however, her sharp ears would be the cause of her next actions. As she skated away, Setsuna heard Tsukuyomi whispering at a slightly louder than normal level to Chigusa.

"Hmmm...you score just as much on the ice as you do off of it..." she heard Tsukuyomi say in a sickly seductive tone. "...let's see how many more times you can tonight...after the game..."

Whatever calmness Setsuna had in reserves quickly disappeared upon hearing the last little bit. Rage flowed through her, hotter than it ever had before. She had finally witnessed her girlfriend's cheating on her own, and everything quickly became real. Without even thinking and completely ignoring the scream of pleading from her defense partner, Setsuna turned around and took off towards Chigusa at top speed.

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"...And that's when I charged at Chigusa and threw my fist as hard as I could into her face..." said Setsuna with a defeated sigh. "...she flew backwards and cracked the back of her head on the ice...and the sad part is...I didn't even care. I had never felt so much anger before and had no idea what I should do with it...when she was down, I jumped on her and continued to pummel her...I even shoved my coach off of me when he came to break us up...it was the first time anyone had seen a player beat up on their own, especially during a game..."

The defenseman put her fingers up to her temples with one hand as her other raised her beer bottle to her lips to finish off what was left. She wasn't surprised that the girls around her were now dead silent; the whole thing was still unbelievable to her. She had no idea she could ever act like that, especially during a game. She watched from the corner of her eye as Konoka seemed to fidget next to her. It was possible she was coming to the realization that this was exactly the reason why the defenseman was so hesitant to be with her.

Slowly, Asnua snapped back to reality and rubbed the back of her neck. "...wow..I...I'm sorry Setsuna...I had no idea that's what happened...I can see why you can't stand to be around them anymore..."

"Yeah...that girl...she's horrible." added Makie as she also came back. "At least you had Mei and Takane though...what exactly happened after that?"

Setsuna sighed again as she fell back against the couch. "Well...the refs had to kick me off the ice for fighting...though they had no idea what to call it since no one ever fought their own team before...the coach tore into the room after me and went off...saying how disappointed he was in me and that he couldn't believe I would let something so petty get under my skin...he had no choice but to kick me off of the team and hand over my captaincy...I was also suspended from school for three weeks and given enough detention when I came back to punish a whole team of trouble makers...Knowing that I didn't want anything to do with my old team anymore, I transferred out at the end of the year. Takane and Mei both graduated but were given hell from the rest of the team after they found out the two of them were the cause for my attacking Chigusa...poor guys...I didn't want that for them..."

"That's fuckin' ridiculous!" said Kazumi in anger. "It's not fair that the only one to get punished was you...you have to tell me that Tsukuyomi at least got something for being an instigator!"

Setsuna shook her head. "Nope...the coach said that it was all stupid high school issues that had nothing to do with the team...that's how he saw it anyway...Tsukuyomi was voted in as captain almost instantly when she promised the girls a new rougher style...she couldn't sew on the C fast enough actually..."

Konoka snapped out of the stupor she was in and slammed her drink down on the table beside her. All of the girls, especially Setsuna stared at her. "I...I really hate her Setsuna...I can't...I can't believe that psycho bitch could ever do something like that...to someone like you...you didn't deserve anything like that..."

Setsuna couldn't help but feel warmth run a course throughout her body and smile as she watched how upset her girlfriend was getting over her past. It was almost heartbreaking how cute the goaltender looked when she got angry. The defenseman thought that it was something about the way she squinted her eyes and the red that lit up her cheeks that stole her attention. She was happy that she finally found someone she connected with so well, who shared the same feelings as her as well did everything in her power to make sure Setsuna was alright. The defenseman smiled a little as she continued to watch Konoka, which was all too obvious from where Kazumi was now sitting up on their class rep's bed.

"Well...at least everything turned out fine now..." began Kazumi as she quickly drained the rest of her bottle. "Huh...would you look at that...guess I should go grab another drink...how about you Makie." She sent the pink haired team mate a look and nudged her head towards Setsuna and Konoka on the couch.

It took the defenseman a second to catch on, but she quickly understood and made to get up. "Yeah I could definitely use one too...Asuna, wanna help me track down some more beer?"

Asuna shook her head. "Nah...I'll stay with these kids...I wanna bash the crazy bitch some mo-...OWW!" yelled the ex captain slightly as Kazumi came down from the bed and flicked her line mate in the back of the head.

"Will you just come on dumbass..." whispered Kazumi angrily as she leaned down next to Asuna's ear. "...are you blind? Can't you see what's going on in front of you?"

Again, the red head shook her head. "No, I don't se-...OWWW! Cut it out Kazumi!"

The forward grabbed her line mate's arm and gently yanked her up from where she sat on the floor. "I swear there's something wrong with you..." she whispered hard as Asuna stumbled to her feet. She then turned her attention to Makie. "Alright, well let's go get a refill..."

Setsuna hadn't even noticed that the three girls had even left until she heard the click of the door follow behind her defense partner's departure. She then realized that she was now left alone with the one girl she cared about more than anything; who had instantly picked up her beaten and torn heart from the cold forgotten ice and made it her own. The defenseman smiled bigger now, as she more than gladly replaced any memory she had left of being with Tsukuyomi with blank slates meant especially for things to come with Konoka. Her happiness was momentarily broken now as she heard a sniffle come from the goaltender.

"Konoka, what's wrong?" she asked quietly as she gently reached out and rested her hand on the goalie's shoulder.

Konoka wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's just...It's not fair that you suffered that much...you loved hockey and because of what happened, you almost didn't come back to it...not to mention what Tsukuyomi did to you mentally...playing games like that...it's...it's no wonder you were so hesitant to be with me..."

Setsuna shook her head and laughed lightly. "I will admit that it wasn't the greatest of things to ever happen to me...and yeah, I almost gave up on hockey and relationships in general...but without everything that happened with the Demons...I would never have transferred here...and I'd never have met you..." she gently took Konoka's chin into the palm of her hand, causing the goalie to look at her. Setsuna instantly melted as she fell into the large, shinning chocolate brown eyes looking straight into her own. "...sometimes... you have to go through a round of hell before you can come out on top with the heavens...you're the good that's come out of it all miss...and that's all I need..."

Konoka's eyes once again began to water, this time out of pure happiness. "Set-Setsuna...that was..."

The defenseman smiled as she leaned in and kissed Konoka before coming back up and brushing a tear away. She laughed a little as she took in the sight of her water ridden girlfriend. "Geeze look at you Konoka...y-you're pretty little face is all covered in tears...let's get them cleaned up ok? I think Ayaka has some tissue over on this table..."

Setsuna quickly made to reach to the side table on the side of the couch behind her when she suddenly felt a sharp pain radiate through her arm. She cursed lightly as she had completely forgotten about the injury she had gotten from protecting Konoka from her crazy ex earlier during the game. Even though it had been popped back into place and was given the ok by the school nurse when she returned, Setsuna's shoulder was still bruised up badly from the hit and the force used to push it back in. She quickly brought her other hand up to her arm and began to rub at her shoulder in an attempt to rid herself from the pain, but felt no change.

"Oh my gods your arm!" said Konoka in a panic as she moved closer to Setsuna. "I bet it's still really sore from when you...when you protected me. It's all my fault for opening up my mouth and pissing that bitch off..."

Setsuna waved off the comment. "It's fine Konoka...please don't worry about it...it really wasn't your fault...Tsukuyomi would have tried something like that anyway, no matter who it was..."

Konoka sighed as she listened to her girlfriend try her best to downplay the whole situation. She still felt horrible for what had happened, and nothing Setsuna could say would change that. "Could I at least see it?"

Setsuna laughed when she saw the signature sad pouty face coming from the goaltender. "Of course...could you help me though? It's hard to take my shirt off when I can't raise my arm."

"Yeah...here let me just push your arm through here and..." she gently pushed Setsuna's arm back through her shirt sleeve before grabbing at the bottom and tugging it easily over the defenseman's head. Konoka froze for a second as she realized she had just removed her girlfriend's shirt, and she was staring at her muscular and toned upper body...in this room...alone. "Whoa..."

"Yeah it looks pretty gross doesn't it?" asked Setsuna as she laughed and scratched the back of her head with her good hand. "I didn't think bruises could get that dark so fast..."

Konoka gulped and shook her head as she tried to combat the heat pooling up between her legs and the increased rhythm of her heart. "Y-yeah...bruise...real dark..." she then had an idea pop into her head. "How about I massage it a little? I'll be careful and it may help with the stiffness..."

"Alright, go right ahead..." smiled Setsuna as she moved closer to the goalie, unaware of her intentions.

Konoka felt her heart pound harder in her chest as her hands came to a rest on the defenseman's shoulder. She gulped as she felt the warmth of Setsuna's skin reach the tips of her fingers before gently pressing her palm down. Despite having been dating, Konoka and Setsuna had yet to have a chance for any sexual encounters; what with all the training, school work, games and practises, and little everyday things getting in the way. This was especially new to Konoka, as she was used to sleeping with girls pretty much instantly. She knew that there was something different about her defenseman, and therefore didn't mind that they hadn't slept together right from the get go. Now however, their luck was just too good and the goalie would have been a fool not to try and take advantage of such a great opportunity. As she gently worked at Setsuna's shoulder, she slowly moved closer and closer to her, until her lips were mere centimetres away from where she was rubbing. She took a deep breath as adrenaline began to run through her, pressing her lips down on the defenseman's shoulder.

At first Setsuna hadn't noticed, as she was too wrapped up with how good her shoulder was feeling from being worked on. It wasn't until Konoka moved her kisses further up her shoulder to the base of her neck that the defenseman caught on. Her eyes flew open and her face turned a dark, hot shade of red as she felt soft, moist lips slowly trace further up her neck. Setsuna's whole body felt like it was on fire as she realized what is was Konoka wanted from her. Before she could even react, the goalie moved from the defenseman's neck and came up to her lips, kissing her gently. At first it started off slow, as both girls opened their lips and let each other's tongues enter, engaging in deep passionate kisses. As Setsuna reached up to gently grab onto the back of Konoka's head however; things quickly began to heat up.

Konoka needed to quickly get as close as possible to Setsuna, so she got up on her knees and slid her leg over the defenseman's lap so that she was now straddling her. The kissing picked up as she felt her girlfriend's slender fingers brush down her sides before coming to a rest on the goaltender's ass and lower back. Setsuna moaned slightly as Konoka playfully bit at her lip before running her tongue over it, soothing the sensitive area. The defenseman was being driven nuts by Konoka's teasing tongue and quick intakes of breath. She wasn't about to let the goalie think she was running the show, so she slowly raised her hand up to lift Konoka's shirt; exposing her perfectly rounded, orb like breasts that seemed to barely be contained by the lacy bra she was wearing. Setsuna smirked as she reached to the bottom of the lacy barrier and lifted it up. She was instantly greeted by a gasping moan as her lips hurriedly closed around the goalie's pert nipple.

It was like music to Setsuna's ears as she continued to hear approving gasps from the girl straddling her whenever she flicked her tongue over it or grazed her teeth on it. Konoka couldn't believe that Setsuna was so quick to take over, she had assumed that, despite the defenseman's appearance, that she would be the more bashful one in this situation. The goalie bit down on her lip as Setsuna's tongue was replaced by her fingers, thanking the gods that her assumption was wrong. She quickly reached down and pulled Setsuna's face back up to her own. The heat continued to pick up as the goaltender began to rock her hips in a slow grinding motion against the defenseman's lap.

Konoka moved over to Setsuna's ear and proceeded to whisper in a seductive gasp. "Set...Setsuna...are you ready to play a little?"

Setsuna slammed her eyes shut as she felt one of the goalie's hands slowly brush it's fingers down her taught stomach and her tongue graze over her ear. "Oh..you have no idea miss...I think I see this one going into overtime..."

Setsuna took in a sharp breath as she felt Konoka bite a little at her neck before soothing it with her lips and tongue. The defenseman felt the goalie's legs spread open a little wider, and took that as a signal to move in. She ran her hand along the inside of Konoka's thigh and felt her shiver with excitement as her hand slowly made its' way to its' destination. The defenseman heard a moan of pleasure as her hand came down to rest and cup itself between the goalie's legs. There was no need to rush, so Setsuna thought she would have a little bit of tease time with her hot and bothered girlfriend. She started by gently running her fingers over the crotch of Konoka's jeans, just enough so that she could feel the touch through her pants and right on her ever increasing sensitive spots. After getting some moans and hard kisses on her neck, Setsuna decided to pick it up and start a massaging motion using her full hand. Konoka was now going insane as she felt Setsuna's teasing touches increase. She wasn't going to be able to take it much longer, so she took it upon herself to reach down and gently take the defenseman's hand into her own. She moved the kissing back up to Setsuna's lips as she brought her girlfriend's hand to the button of her pants. She smirked into the defenseman's bottom lip bite as she felt the button to her jeans being pulled open. Finally, she was going to have her favorite defenseman touch her in a way that only she could.

Unfortunately for them, the door to Ayaka's room flew open with a loud bang causing both of them to jump and Konoka to lose balance and fall off of Setsuna's lap and to the floor. The goaltender cursed her luck as she rubbed her butt, wincing at the little bit of pain from falling.

"Oi Konoka Setsuna!" yelled Asuna from just inside the door way, head turned away from them like she was watching her back. "We've been busted out by the girls in the next dorm over...Takamichi's on his way over here right now! We gotta hide the booze and ditch the bottles before we get caught! You know how much trouble we'll get in if he finds out we've been drin-...Woah! uhhh ummm...Whoa...s-sorry guys..." Asuna had just turned her head around and became embarrassed as she realized that she had just interrupted a hot and heavy session. "I didn't realize...shit...I...shit..."

Setsuna ignored the pain in her shoulder as she quickly threw her shirt back on. "I-it's fine Asuna...you did what you had to do...we gotta get this stuff out of here or we'll all get in trouble..."

Konoka had turned her back towards her roommate and fixed her bra and shirt before re-buttoning her pants. "...Yeah...we can't have that now...can we..." she said in a very sarcastic tone.

"Uhhhh...yeah, ok...so...yeah..." began Asuna as she laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck. "Let's get to it!" she then took off back through the door.

Setsuna laughed as she bent down to help Konoka up from the floor. "Well...looks like we'll have to pick it up some other time..."

"Yeah...too bad though..." began Konoka as she moved in to give one final kiss to her favorite defenseman. "...you didn't even get a chance to see the special panties I bought just for you..."

She laughed as she watched Setsuna's face go bright red as her whole body froze up; at least Konoka could have some fun teasing the poor defenseman. She then ruffled up her girlfriend's bangs before heading over to the tables to grab their bottle and glass. As the two of them made for the door, Konoka sent one last look to the couch were they had almost had sex.

_What are the friggin' chances...I'm going to kill those other dorm girls...gods damn it...I can't believe I just got Twat Blocked by my own roommate...oh well, guess we'll just have to try some other time then..._


	11. From Math To Anatomy

**Alright...so here's the next chapter and probably the last update until exams are over in a week...hopefully I leave you with a little present lol.**

**In case anyone is still wondering where this story is going, don't worry...I still have a lot of things to go through before it finishes!**

**Anyway...I think the title to this one maaaaaaaay be a little self explanatory when it comes to the content in this chapter lol hope you enjoy!**

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**From Math To Anatomy...**

About two weeks had gone by since Setsuna revealed her past to the others at the after game party, and for the most part, the defenseman's life was beginning to feel a little more relaxed. Eventually she had decided to let the rest of the team know, as they would have asked her about it at some point anyway, allowing for her to finally be set free from her troubling times at Kyoto Prep. One would think that finally being able to truly be ones' self among their team mates would make Setsuna the happiest girl in the world; unfortunately, she was not. Revealing her past hadn't been the only event to go down at the after party, even now she could remember quiet vividly what had almost happened.

Since that moment when Asuna had burst through the door to their class rep's room and accidently interrupted the defenseman and the goaltender just as things were starting to get interesting, Setsuna hadn't wanted anything so badly. She couldn't believe her luck and even though she played it off as nothing and was quick to jump up to help her team clean up, the defenseman was irritated beyond belief. She continued to play it back in her mind, blushing when she realized just how close she was to hooking up with Konoka. She knew that the goaltender was just as, if not more irritated than she was about being interrupted by their ex captain; she had heard it in the sarcastic reply Konoka had given Asuna. However, later while cleaning the two had decided to brush it off, agreeing that they would definitely be able to try again soon.

_WRONG!_

Setsuna shook her head and grumbled as she finished remembering the agreement between her and her goalie girlfriend. It wasn't that they had given up or anything; quite the opposite actually. Every chance the two had, they would try to sneak off somewhere. Unfortunately for them, life was the proverbial bitch who thought it extremely hilarious to get in the way or cause issues. Try as they might, Setsuna and Konoka just weren't able to do the dirty...

_I don't understand why our luck is sooooooooo bad...I mean really, it's almost like we're in the middle of a story or something where the author just wants to mess and prod at our relationship...Even Konoka's beginning to get antsy. She said she wouldn't do it, but I swear I catch her looking at that box of cards every so often...I can't even count the amount of times we tried...like the next day after the party when Konoka came over to watch a movie and we started into it again only to have the fire alarm go off...it was a false alarm, I still can't believe the twins survived their punishment..._

"...Setsuna..."

_And then there was a few days later when we were walking back from a team meeting after dinner, just when it started to get dark...Konoka got a little...frisky...and pulled me off the pathway behind a tree...even that looked promising until we got a little too excited and ended up tripping over a tree root, falling out into the open to land at Negi's feet..._

"Setsuna?"

_Oh gods...and then there was just a few days ago when we were back at Konoka's... that was probably the closest we've gotten yet...literally had her on the couch, flat on her back...I just moved down to the top of her jeans wh-..._

"Setsuna, are you gonna go down on Konoka or what?" whispered Makie loudly from behind her as she nudged her partner in the back with her glove.

"W-wha-what?" stammered Setsuna in response, instantly becoming embarrassed as she thought that maybe everything she was thinking about in her head magically escaped and blasted its' way to her partner.

Setsuna had completely forgotten that she was currently in the middle of a drill during that morning's practice. How long she had been out of it thinking about Konoka, she wasn't sure; for all she knew she could have been running off of pure muscle memory for the whole practice up until that point. All she knew now was that her face was bright red and her mouth had seemed to have forgotten how to function as she hastily made to pick up the nearest puck and took off down the ice. The defenseman shook her head to try and regain her focus as she quickly came up on the goaltender in question, sending her a nice hard shot from the blue line which Konoka seemed to easily deflect off to the side. It was rare for such drills to be done by the defence, but Takamichi had decided that now was as good a time as any for his girls to learn the finer points of both ways of play.

The defenseman cursed inside her head; she had just gotten herself back into perfect sync with the way practice was going when Negi blew his whistle to signal the end of practice laps. The hockey season was just starting to pick up, and Setsuna couldn't afford to float through another practice like she just had again. If something didn't happen soon, she could even see herself being benched for lack of performance. She sighed heavily as she finished up her last lap and carefully glided her way to the boards where Negi had signalled for the girls to meet him. Thinking he was going to make a comment about the way practice went, the defenseman became nervous and hung her head as she took a knee next to Asuna.

Negi smiled as he looked around the group. Takamichi had left him a very important job to do at the end of practice, and now was his time to shine; although he felt like it was just a way for the older coach to get out of causing any bad blood between him and the girls with the reminder he entrusted to the boy teacher. "Alright girls...as you all know, midterms are only a few days away..."

"Aw man!" yelled Yuna as she slumped forwards onto her stick.

"Come on!" added Ku.

"Way to kill a moment Negi..." sighed Misora.

"Now, now girls..." began Negi as he waved both hands to try and regain peace. "As one of your teachers, it's my duty to ensure that you all get into the proper mindset and get serious so you do well...besides, you all remember the rules that we went over at the beginning of the year right?"

There was a small murmur through the group as the girls all tried to think back to their meeting at the beginning of the year. Finally, Akira sighed and spoke up. "We need to score at least a C+ on all tests in order to remain on the team..." she finished as many of the girls on the team let out a loud groan.

Negi nodded. "That's right, so be sure to study hard over the next few days...and if you need any help with English, don't hesitate to ask me alright?"

"Yes coach..." grumbled the team all at once before pushing up from the ice and making their way to the dressing room.

_Great...as if I don't have enough to think about..._

Setsuna sighed deeply as she bent down to grab her book bag from its' spot under the bench. With the way her thoughts were now, she couldn't imagine how she was going to get into the mood for studying, especially when it came to the dreaded subject of math. She was barely holding the required grade in math class and knew that her entire season rested on the upcoming test. She could afford holding off on studying her other subjects, as they were easy to her and she currently held one of the top spots in the class with her marks in them. The defenseman shook her head as she continued to think about how to go about attacking her math situation; then it hit her. Konoka was ridiculously good at math; she was no Chao or anything, but she definitely knew her way around an equation. Maybe she could get together with her over the next few days and get the goalie to tutor her. Then again, being alone in a quiet room together, away from everyone because they were studying may prove to be too much of an opportunity for intimate time to pass up...

_No! I can't think about that now...all that matters is getting through this midterm and still being able to play on the team. I can't let them down, I need to do well...I'm sure Konoka would say the same thing. Time to get serious...that will just have to wait until another time..._

Setsuna was just about to head out the dressing room door after Konoka when she felt a hand come down to rest on her shoulder. The defenseman turned around to find herself looking straight into two sets of desperate eyes. She smiled and tried her best to hide a laugh. "Hey guys...what can I help you with?"

"Setsuna, you gotta help us study!" whined Makie as she brought her hands up to pleading position.

"If you don't..." sighed Asuna with a defeated look. "I can definitely say goodbye to the ice..."

Setsuna rolled her eyes a little at the over dramatic tone Asuna was using. "Oh come on guys...I'm sure your marks can't be that bad..."

Makie rubbed the back of her neck and smiled awkwardly to her defense partner. "Well...let's just say I'm one C- away from completely failing history..."

Asuna face palmed and turned away. "...I need to get at least a B+ on my history and English midterm in order to get a C+ in each class..."

Setsuna's playful attitude quickly turned into one of worry as the seriousness of her team mates' situation became blindingly apparent. At least in her case, she only needed the required C+ to keep from failing in math. She began to panic as she thought about the possibility of not only losing her perfectly in sync defense partner, but also their top scoring ex captain became more of a reality. As much as she needed to focus on her own studies, Setsuna knew that she couldn't just sit back and watch her friends struggle; besides, history wasn't just her top subject, it was also her favorite. The defenseman would just have to figure out another day for her to set up a study session with Konoka.

Setsuna sighed and scratched the back of her head, looking back and forth between the two desperate girls in front of her. "...alright, I'll help you guys out. Meet me back at my room tonight after dinner and we'll go over history ok?"

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"Oh gods I can't take it anymore!" yelled Asuna as she threw her arms up in surrender and fell backwards onto the floor. She began to groan and covered her tired face with her hands. "History is just soooooooooo boring! Who cares about what some old guy did during the industrial revolution in Europe or some war...I'd rather be skating laps right now then reading this crap!"

Makie sighed as she allowed for her head to slump down on her textbook. "Asuna actually makes a good point...I'd even take a suicide drill instead right now..."

Setsuna laughed lightly as she took in the sight of Makie and Asuna become smoldering masses of defeat right in front of her. It had only been about two hours since they began their study session, but already it was turning into an unpleasant process. The defenseman knew that Asuna was known for being quick to give up on studying, but seeing her pink haired partner give up so soon was slightly disheartening. If these girls were going to make it back onto the ice, they would have to step it up here. Setsuna stretched out and prodded at the ex captain's leg next to her in an attempt to get her back up to her book.

"Come on guys...it's really not that hard to get..." she began as she grabbed some paper to start drawing out a timeline of important events and dates. "I mean, everything anyone has done in the past has had some effect on who we are as a people today...and I can't believe that you of all people Asuna aren't interested in wars...especially since WWII was an event that literally impacted the well being of Japan..."

Asuna slowly sat back up and began to fiddle with her pencil. "...yeah I guess you have a point Setsuna...but still, there's way too many names and dates to get mixed up with each other...it's hopeless..."

Setsuna just smiled as she continued to draw out the timeline, completely wrapped up as she reached her favorite period of history on the map. "Just think of it in terms of an epic action movie and you'll do fine...remember, those who fail to understand history are doomed to repeat it..." the defenseman stopped what she was doing as she felt two sets of eyes burning into her.

"You didn't just say that..." laughed Makie as she shook her head.

"Gods Setsuna, you're such a nerd..." added Asuna, lightly tapping the embarrassed defenseman on her forehead with her pencil.

Just then there was a knock on Setsuna's door. The defenseman quickly got up from her spot at the coffee table and gladly welcomed an excuse to get away from the playful jokes and insults being thrown at her from her partner and the ex captain. When the door opened, she stood their smiling as Konoka came into full view in front of her. Before Setsuna could say hello, the goaltender leaned in and gave her a playful kiss, causing her to blush as she heard the insults behind her turn into small fits of giggles at her new appearance. Konoka then sent her favorite defenseman a smile and wink before gently brushing by her to join the others on the floor.

Before sitting down, the goaltender pulled out a bag she had behind her back and placed it on the table. "I thought you guys could use a little break from studying, so I brought you some snacks..."

"Oh thank gods!" shouted Asuna as she made a grab for a pack of candy sitting at the top of the bag. She sent a devious smile to her roommate as she sat back down. "...just in time too...your girlfriend there almost went into full geek mode...there was nothing Makie and I could have done!"

Makie laughed and decided to join in once again in teasing her partner. "It was horrible Konoka! We...we almost lost her...we could practically see glasses forming and a pocket protector starting to grow on her shirt!"

Setsuna shook her head as she slumped down in an embarrassed pile beside the goalie. "...sometimes I really hate you guys..."

"Oh come on now Setsuna..." smiled Konoka as she leaned in closer to snuggle up to the defenseman's arm. "They were only trying to save you...I can't bare to think about losing you to the nerd side of the force..." she then quickly whispered into Setsuna's ear so no one else could hear her. "...but...I think you could look really, really sexy with glasses..."

Setsuna gulped as she felt her face start to darken into a deeper shade of red. She quickly did whatever she could to shake off the feeling that was now spreading through her entire body; if she didn't, she could only imagine the questions and teasing she would then receive from her friends. The defenseman was able to quickly calm down when she heard the soft sound of giggling coming from Konoka on her arm. She sighed and smiled; leave it to Konoka to be a tease.

"Anyway...thanks for the food Konoka." said the defenseman as she watched Makie and Asuna scarf down a full row of cookies from a freshly opened box. "Hopefully now they'll both be motivated to get back into studying...except at this rate, even if they manage to pass the test they might not be able to skate anymore with the way they're stuffing their faces..."

"HEY!" replied Asuna.

Konoka laughed. "If there weren't so many crumbs stuck to your face then that may have sounded threatening..."

"She's right Asuna..." began Makie. "...you're face is covered!"

Asuna frowned and pointed towards the laughing pink haired defenseman. "You're one to talk Makie! How did you even manage to get chocolate above your eyebrows?"

The defenseman and goaltender laughed as they watched the slapstick exchange of insults play out in front of them. Eventually, Konoka had stepped in and got Asuna and Makie to calm down suggesting that they really should get back to studying. Thanks to Setsuna's drawn out timeline, the ex captain and her partner finally seemed to be grasping the dates and the important information that was world history. They had even managed to make a decent score on their practice tests a few hours later, leading Setsuna to finally give the ok for them to finish for the night. The four girls then all stretched out, Konoka working out the sleepiness in her arms from falling asleep on the couch in a weird position, relaxing after a long night of work.

"At least now I feel a little better about this midterm..." began Asuna as she got up to grab a glass of water. "...now if I could only feel that way about English..."

"Well I guess I could he-..." began Setsuna before she was quickly and quietly tackled by both Konoka and Makie. "H-hey what are you guys do-..."

Makie quickly threw her hand over her partner's mouth while Konoka shushed her. "Shh! Don't you see what we can do here? Asuna's looking for help in English...think about it for a minute...who in our class is basically fluent in English as a second language?"

Setsuna stopped to think for a moment before she felt Makie lift her hand off of her mouth, then it came to her. "Well...that's Ayaka isn't it?"

"...and who was it that came to us the night of the party asking about Asuna's relationship status?" asked Makie.

Again, Setsuna sat for a second to think before realizing what they were talking about. "Ohhhhhhhh...I get it now. You guys wanna help out the class rep with getting Asuna...and getting Asuna to ask her for help is the perfect way to set them up...nice!"

Konoka smiled and sent the raven haired defenseman a wink. "Exactly, Makie and I had been talking about them getting together since then and waited for an opportunity to set something up...now's our chance...so just follow our lead ok?" she watched as Setsuna nodded her understanding.

"Quick she's coming back from the kitchen!" whispered Makie as she quickly sat back up, signalling for the other two to do the same. "Act natural..."

Konoka laid back down on the couch with her arms behind her head, resting her ankle on her bent knee while Setsuna and Makie pretended to be going over something in the pink haired defenseman's textbook. They watched from the corners of their eyes as the red head placed her third glass of water on the table before slumping back down onto the floor. Asuna then made a grab for her text book when Konoka casually began their plan.

"Sooooo, Asuna...you said you still need some work when it comes to English huh?" she asked as she nonchalantly bobbed her foot up and down.

Asuna looked up from her notes with a puzzling expression. "Yeah I pretty much suck at it...why? Did you wanna help me?"

"Well I would but..." began the goaltender.

"But she already has her hands full helping Setsuna with math..." replied Makie quickly, sending a playful nudge to her surprised partner and quickly winking to Konoka. "Isn't that right Setsuna? Actually, it's the same reason you can't help either..."

Setsuna gulped as she felt a slight blush come to her cheeks. How did Makie know she was going to get Konoka to help her with math? She quickly refocused and played along. "Y-yeah...sorry Asuna, I'd like to help but I really need to focus on math..."

"Well awesome..." sighed Asuna as she crossed her arms over her chest in irritation. "...no what am I supposed to do? I really didn't want to ask that kid Negi for any help...that would be too weird..."

"Why not see what Ayaka's up too?" asked Konoka, still keeping an uninterested sounding tone. "She is the best in our class..."

"Yeah, I bet she'd be a great tutor!" added Makie happily.

Asuna thought about it for a moment hard before jumping to her feet, and quickly packing up her things. "You know what...that's a good idea. I know Ayaka won't mind helping me out...thanks guys!" with that, the ex captain was out the door and on her way to their class rep's room.

It was silent for a moment as the remaining three girls all sat and stared at the door Asuna had just left from; then, they all suddenly burst out into laughter. They couldn't believe how easy it was to talk their ex captain into meeting up with Ayaka; it was almost like taking candy from a baby. The laughing lasted a good ten minutes before Makie and Konoka realized that it was getting late and that maybe they should head back to their rooms since their early morning practice was coming closer and closer. The pink haired defenseman waved her goodbyes before heading out the door, leaving her partner and the goaltender alone.

Setsuna shifted awkwardly on the spot as she closed the door and looked to Konoka. She knew it was late and that they had practice in the morning, but she really wanted to ask the goalie to spend the night with her. She scratched the back of her head and smiled weakly. "Some night huh?"

Konoka smiled deviously as she moved closer to the now surprised looking defenseman. "Setsy...why didn't you tell me you wanted me to help you with math?" she said as she brushed her fingers lightly up Setsuna's arm.

Setsuna blushed and turned her face away as she heard the cutesy name Konoka had decided to call her whenever she got in one of her "moods". One thing was for sure; the goalie was definitely making it difficult for Setsuna to say goodnight. "I-I was going to ask you tomorrow if you minded studying with me...r-really...I was even going to ask earlier today, but Asuna and Makie asked me first so..."

"I understand..." smiled Konoka as her hand came to rest on the back of the defenseman's head. "...and I'd be more than happy to help you, you know that. Speaking of midterms..."

Konoka moved in and slowly began to kiss the frozen in place Setsuna. At first, the defenseman wasn't sure if she should let herself give in, but she threw caution aside and began to remove her hand from the door to place it on the goalie's waist. As the kissing became more heated, Setsuna slowly brought her hands around to the front of Konoka's pants. Just as she began to make with unbutton them however, she was gently pushed back. Confused, she looked to the goalie's face to find her smirking.

"We need to do really well on these tests in order to stay on the team right? I can't afford having my favorite defenseman spending some quality time in the bleachers..." she began as played with the zipper on Setsuna's sweater. "...so over the next few days, let's work really hard...what happened just now is for you to keep in mind for once the tests are over..."

With that, she bit her bottom lip and smiled, sending Setsuna a wink before turning to the door and heading out; the defenseman was left staring out into an empty hallway.

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Konoka sighed as she slumped down at a table for breakfast a few mornings later in the meal hall. The goaltender was completely exhausted from spending the last few nights cooped up in Setsuna's room with her head buried in a math text book. Usually it wouldn't have been so bad; but for some reason, no matter how hard she tried to get through to the defenseman, Setsuna just wasn't grasping quadratics. The goalie had tried everything in order to properly explain it to her favorite defenseman, but she may as well have been speaking to her in German or something. She was trying her hardest to not get frustrated with Setsuna because she knew that the poor girl was trying her best and that she most likely felt horrible for not getting it, but if she didn't get through to her soon she was going to go insane. Konoka reached for her spoon in order to dig into her cereal while she continued to think about possible options, when her hand accidently bumped her glass of juice. Despite being the top goalie in the entire Japanese High School Hockey Association, Konoka's reflexes just weren't fast enough to stop the glass from tipping over and spilling all over her shirt.

"GAH! SERIOUSLY?" she grumbled loudly to herself as she grabbed a handful of napkins from nearby and began to pat at her shirt. "Why does everything have to be so frustrating?"

"Whoa calm down now princess..." laughed Kazumi as she came up to the table and placed her own tray down, causing the goaltender to jump in surprise from hearing her so suddenly. "Geeze...what's gotten into you?"

Konoka groaned angrily as her fight with the juice on her shirt ended with her losing thanks to a final blow of a set in stain. "It's nothing Kazumi...just nothing..."

"Nothing eh?" said Haruna as she also sat down at the table across from Konoka with her own breakfast. She sent a smile towards her fellow forward before leaning over the table with a devious glint in her eye. "We've never seen you so pent up before...it's really odd for our princess. If you ask me, it sounds like somebody is a liiiiiiitle sexually frustrated..."

Konoka practically choked on the spoonful of cereal she had just taken and felt her face begin to heat up. She did her best to swallow it down and shake away her blush before answering. "...yeah well, I wasn't asking..."

Kazumi and Haruna both laughed playfully with each other as they watched embarrassment break through the goalie's trying features. Haruna removed her glasses and whipped her eyes before continuing. "I'm sorry Konoka...but you gotta admit that it is kind of funny to see you like this. I mean, you've never experienced this before, right?"

"Yeah, usually getting a girl into bed has been easier than breathing for you..." added a still giggling Kazumi. "I can only imagine how frustrated Setsuna is probably feeling right now too...considering she hasn't gotten that part of you yet like the others..." once again, the forward received a playful yet hard punch to her arm from the goalie.

"See...now when you guys say stuff like that, it makes me sound like that skank of a Demon captain..." sighed Konoka as she leaned back irritably in her chair. There was no way she ever wanted to be put in the same category as that psycho Tsukuyomi; it wasn't her fault that all those girls threw themselves at her. She sighed as she looked from each of her friends. "...besides, that isn't the only thing that's frustrating me right now..."

Kazumi took a drink from her glass of milk before shooting a questioning look to the goaltender. "You mean there's legit something else getting at you aside from that?"

Konoka nodded slowly. "Yep...and it really shouldn't be bothering me this much, because it's really not her fault but...Setsuna just isn't getting math, and if she can't get it by the test in two days...then she most likely won't be on the team anymore."

It was now the two forwards' turn to panic as they took in the serious look Konoka was sending them. They had no idea their defenseman was having so much difficulty with her studies. They also knew that they would suffer a great loss if that kid couldn't manage to pull herself through this midterm successfully. Quickly, Kazumi and Haruna put their heads together to try and come up with something to help get Konoka through to the defenseman, putting an end to her math issues.

Suddenly, a thought popped into Haruna's head. "So, am I right in guessing that you've already tried everything to try and get her to understand?"

Again Konoka sighed and sent the forward a nod. "Yeah...everything I could possibly think of anyway..."

"I think I have an idea..." began the forward, earning her a questioning look from the goaltender. "Look...Setsuna is most likely having trouble understanding math because she just really isn't interested in it. The only thing that you can do is to find a way to get her to like it...this is where my idea comes in. Plus, it may end up being just the thing to get rid of all your frustrations..."

The two girls leaned closer to Haruna in order to hear her better as she began to go over her idea. She was sure to whisper as quietly as possible to make sure that no one near them could hear their conversation; Kazumi carefully keeping an eye out for any hint of Setsuna entering the meal hall. Finally a few minutes later, Haruna finished up and leaned back into her chair to wait for a response from Konoka. The goaltender sat there for a moment, deep in thought as she went over Haruna's proposal in her head.

_Well...she does have a point...I can definitely see Setsuna becoming more...interested...in what she was doing if I tried this. There's also the possibility of me getting something out of it as well...and I'm definitely alright with that...although, it might just end up backfiring on us..._

Konoka sighed and sent Haruna a smile. "Aw what the hell...I'll do it!"

A few hours later, Setsuna once again found herself with her eyes darting around the pages of her math text book in an attempt to see if she could force quadratics to sink into her brain before Konoka came over. The defenseman could tell that her girlfriend was beginning to get frustrated with her lack of understanding; despite hiding it as best she could, Setsuna could see right through it. She was determined to do whatever it took to show Konoka that she would come out on top of this midterm.

A short time later, Setsuna heard a knock on her door and got up to answer it with a smile already on her face knowing it was Konoka. "Hey!"

Konoka sent her a smile back, being sure not to give too much as it would tip the defenseman off that she had something up her sleeve. "Sorry I'm a little late...I had to stop at my room after dinner to pick up a few things..."

Setsuna stepped aside and waved her off as Konoka walked into her room. "It's fine, don't worry about it...I was just going over some problems anyway to see if I could get a jump start."

Konoka smiled a little brighter when she heard that Setsuna was at least putting in a solid effort into learning the materials on her own. She couldn't help but feel a little bit prouder with her favorite defenseman, so she leaned in to give her a quick rewarding kiss on the cheek. It was now time to get down to business. "Hey so...how about you get started by writing out some problems while I go to the washroom to wash my hands...I spilt juice on them at dinner and they still feel kinda sticky."

"Yeah sure." nodded Setsuna as she made her way to the couch, flopping down with her textbook in her lap and a notebook resting on its' arm.

Konoka quickly made her way to the bathroom with her school bag still slung over her shoulder. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as Haruna's idea continued to play over in her head. Even though her nerves made her feel like she was going to pass out, the goaltender couldn't help but feel extremely excited with what she was about to do. When she really thought about it, this plan definitely made sense; there was no way Setsuna was going to enter that midterm room in two days without a new found interest in all things math related. This was by far one of the best ideas Haruna had ever had, although Konoka had a nagging suspicion that the forward had probably come up with this idea just to get a rise for her latest manga.

The goaltender ripped open her bag as soon as the door to the bathroom clicked shut behind her. She reached down and grabbed out a few things before quickly standing back up and tearing off the clothes she currently had on. Konoka was thankful that she was able to beg Kotaro to let her take the thing she needed from the dressing room, otherwise she wouldn't know what to use. Luckily for her it had just been washed, so instead of that gross, played in hockey smell, the goalie's nose was greeted with the scent of freshly washed laundry. It hadn't taken her very long, but finally Konoka was ready. She took a deep breath and calmed her nerves, laughing to herself as she thought that she was getting just as nervous about this as she would in a championship shoot out. Konoka shook her body out and allowed for her well tuned confidence to take over as she reached for the handle of the door.

_It's game time Setsuna..._

Setsuna was sitting on the couch, sighing to herself as she continued to write down various quadratic equations that always seemed to be giving her the most trouble. Everything else she had come across over the term so far had be at least a little comprehendible; for some reason, quadratics just wanted to put up a fight. She was so focused on making sure she got a good variety of difficulty in the questions, that she didn't even hear the door to the bathroom click open or the soft footsteps of her girlfriend making their way ever closer.

_Let's see...I want to try and stay away from the easier looking ones, plus I wanna make it look like I'm really trying to push myself to Konoka...so, I guess I'll definitely keep the more difficult ones...yeah...the harder the better! Now, hopefully I'll finally be able to...WHOA!_

Setsuna had just heard a creak in the floor and looked up out of habit when she saw it. Her eyes grew wide and she could even feel her mouth hanging slightly open as she took in the sight of the goaltender leaning against the entrance to the kitchen. She wasn't sure why Konoka was stripped down to nearly nothing with only a hockey jersey hanging off of her curvy form, but right now she wasn't exactly capable of asking any questions. All the defenseman could do was turn red as her mind began to race through different scenarios, all the while blinking with a dumbstruck expression on her face.

Konoka smiled and giggled as she watched the reaction from her favorite defenseman; this was already going better than she could have expected. Though this little bit of "fan service" as stated by Haruna earlier, may look like something completely pointless...it did serve an important purpose for the plan. Haruna had pointed out that Setsuna wasn't able to grasp difficult things in math because she really just wasn't interested; so, what better way to make the defenseman interested than by dangling Konoka in front of her. Yes, Konoka was to use her assets to properly force Setsuna into learning how to solve quadratic equations by playing a little "game".

Konoka continued to giggle as she gently pushed off from the wall and made her way over to the still silent defenseman. She leaned over and took the paper with the equations on it from under Setsuna's hand and began to read them over. Once again she smiled and shook her head, thinking how nicely her favorite defenseman had set herself up with these difficult questions. One thing was for sure; this was going to be one interesting study session...

Setsuna had finally managed to pull herself together, at least enough to form proper words. "K-Konoka...what exactly...why...huh?" well, proper words was being a little generous.

Konoka smiled as she stood straight, still looking over the problems on the paper. "Well Setsuna...you really just weren't getting it when we tried all those other ways, so Haruna came up with this little idea...see, we're gonna play a liiiiiiiiitle math game, alright?"

"What...what kind of game?" asked Setsuna as she looked Konoka over; interest definitely peaking at the offer.

"It's really easy Setsuna...for every question you get right, I take something off...and since I only have two things on right now, should be quick right?" she asked with a devious smile before continuing. "But...there's a catch..."

Setsuna shook out of her blissful mindset at the mention of a catch. "I know I'm going to hate this...but what is it?"

Konoka smirked. "Well...for every question you get wrong, I put something else on...once the jersey gets replaced by my hoody, the game's over and I can't help you anymore..."

"You can't help me anymore?" gulped Setsuna. "...but...the midterm, the rules say I can't play unless..."

"Unless you get a C+..." finished Konoka as she walked over to her bag to pull it closer to her selected spot in front of the defenseman. "...Well, you better try your hardest during this game then in order to play in the next one!"

Setsuna cursed inside her head as she felt the pressure on her build up to an all time high. Now she really needed to focus and try to get things right; not only for the obvious chance of stripping Konoka down to nothing, but for her future on the team in general. Suddenly, the defenseman's eyes grew wide in panic as she realized that she had pretty much already set herself up for failure as she shot a look at the paper in her girlfriend's hands. She had put down only the more difficult questions she came across in her textbook thinking that Konoka would be helping her through them. Now she would be left to struggle through them on her own.

"Alright so...let's start then!" cheered Konoka, completely ignoring the look of horror spreading over Setsuna's face. She glanced down at the paper and spotted a good question to start with. "Ok...so solve for x, 5x² plus 6x plus 1 equals 0...a equals 5, b equals 6, and c equals 1..."

Setsuna quickly jotted down the question on a new piece of paper in her notebook as Konoka looked on. Once written down, the defenseman's nerves kicked in. She sat there and stared at the question as it looked right back up, mocking her with its' mix of letters and numbers. Her biggest problem when it came to answering these questions was the initial set up; no matter how many times Konoka showed or went over the formula with her, she kept getting it all confused. Setsuna scrunched up her eyebrows and tried her best to think about what the next step was. She slowly began to write some things out, hoping that she was doing it right as she placed the given numbers into what she thought was their appropriate spot. After a few more minutes she put her pencil down and handed her work over to Konoka for inspection. The defenseman held her breath, waiting desperately for what was coming.

"Well...I'm sorry Setsuna, but that's not right..." sighed Konoka as she handed back the notebook. "...x is supposed to equal either -0.2 or -1...looks like the pants are being put back on..."

"Shit..." mumbled Setsuna under her breath as she watched the goalie grab a pair of jeans from her bag and pull them on. She let her head fall back slightly in irritation. "Can you at least give me a hint as to where it was I went wrong?"

Konoka smiled after buttoning her jeans. "It's the way you set up the formula again...except this time you forgot to put something important in..."

Setsuna shook her head as she looked at her work. "Damn it...I knew something didn't look right about it..."

Konoka felt a little bad for how stressed out her defenseman sounded, but knew this was all for the best. She sent her a warm smile, leaning across the coffee table to give her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Just take your time Setsuna...there's no rush...try and think back to everything we've been going over ok?"

"Ok..." sighed Setsuna as she once again picked up her pencil. "...bring on the next one..."

Setsuna concentrated hard on trying to remember how the formula was set up. If she could only just remember how it went, she would be fine. The defenseman blamed the fact that there was letters thrown into a math question. Math was meant for numbers, not stupid letters. She gritted her teeth as she jotted down her next attempt at the formula, hoping more than anything that this time it was right. Once again, she handed Konoka her finished work and waited for her response.

"...wrong again..." sighed Konoka. "Let's see...should it be bra or socks next?"

Setsuna face palmed as Konoka decided to pull on a pair of socks. "Seriously?"

"Yep...keep trying to think back Setsuna...only three chances left until it's game over!" the goalie replied with a smile, trying her best not to look as disappointed as she felt.

It wasn't until Setsuna got the next question wrong as well that things started to become extremely real. She could only afford to get one more question wrong before it was game over and Konoka left her to deal on her own. She could also tell that the goaltender was becoming more and more irritated and disheartened with each wrong answer she gave; after all, Konoka had sacrificed a lot of her own study time to help the defenseman out...not showing improvement was kind of a kick in the face for her. Setsuna took a deep breath and closed her eyes after writing down the next question. She was now entering the focus mode she usually reserved for stressful situations for shoot outs in championship games. Her mind instantly went blank, allowing for her to take her time to search through her memory for anything math related Konoka had gone over with her.

_I know it's in here...I had to have absorbed something over the last few days...let's see...x equals negative b...plus or minus?...yeah, I think that sounds right! Ok so next is...the square root of b squared minus 4 a c...so, so far I have x equals negative b plus or minus the square root of b squared minus 4 a c...damn it what's the last bit? Come on I know this! Hold on...that's it!_

"ALL OVER 2A!" shouted Setsuna excitedly, causing Konoka to jump in surprise.

The defenseman's features turned from defeated and desperate to determined instantly as she began to scribble down the formula onto her paper. This was it, she just knew it. She threw in all the right numbers and quickly made her way through the question as if it was nothing, smiling all the while. As soon as she was done, she handed her work over once again to Konoka for her to check, hoping that this time she would hear something different.

Konoka stared at the paper in disbelief as her eyes came to a final rest on Setsuna's answer. She couldn't believe it. "Set...Setsuna...it's correct!" The defenseman pumped her fist in the air in celebration. "Yes! I knew it!" "I can't believe I actually get to say this but..." began the goaltender as she reached under the jersey with a seductive smirk. "...here's your first reward..."

Setsuna smiled and watched as Konoka slipped her bra off under the defenseman's jersey and brought it out to slowly fall to the ground. She could feel her own body tensing up as heat began flow through her. Now that she basically knew how to go about doing these problems properly, this game was going to become a little more interesting for her. She blushed slightly as she caught sight of Konoka sending her a wink, playfully teasing her a little while she wrote down the next question by playing with the top of her pants. It was almost like the goalie was trying to distract her to make it more difficult for Setsuna to concentrate; but with the image in mind of what waited for her when she won, nothing was going to stop her now.

"Right again..." breathed Konoka as she bent down to remove her socks.

"Hey wait..." said Setsuna as she squinted her eyes playfully. "I thought the pants were next...that's cheating!"

Konoka smirked. "Now, now...I said when you got one right, I removed a piece of clothing...I didn't say it was taken off in a certain order..."

Setsuna rolled her eyes. "Gods, you're such a tease Konoka..."

"Keep it up and I'll change it to every three questions you get right..." she replied with a devious smile and wink.

Once again Setsuna plugged away at the next question, smirking happily as Konoka looked it over and slowly began to remove her jeans as the answer was correct. She kicked them off and sent them flying towards the now laughing Setsuna, who was getting right into it now that she was starting to get them right. The same thing happened with the next question, causing Konoka to seductively pull off her panties, making Setsuna blush and feel like her face was about to explode from a nose bleed. Just one more question left and she won; Konoka would be free for the taking. She kept glancing up at the nearly naked goaltender who kept shooting her distracting looks as she answered the next, hopefully final question; then she passed it over.

"Annnnnd the panties go back on..."

Setsuna snapped out of her greedy stare and looked to Konoka in confusion, looking for an answer. "Wait what? Why?"

Konoka laughed as she playfully snapped the waist of her panties allowing themto fall to her side before leaning over to the defenseman. She then smiled and pointed to the question. "...you put the wrong sign in here...maybe someone should be paying more attention to her work..." she playfully sang the last part as she moved back to her spot.

Setsuna face palmed. "Damn it..."

The defenseman was sure to pay careful attention to the next question to make sure that she didn't slip up again. She was sure this time to keep her eyes on the paper and her head clear of anything naked goalie related while she worked out the problem. Her efforts paid off as Konoka pouted playfully and once again removed the panties. It was now down to one last question and Setsuna was going to give it everything she had. Suddenly, Konoka moved closer and picked up the math text book from the coffee table.

"You know...I feel like these types of questions are getting a little too easy for you now..." she said as she flipped through the quadratics chapter. "How about trying something I pick for a winner take all thing?"

Setsuna scratched the back of her head and thought about it for a moment. "...but I was just starting to get good at these ones..."

Konoka giggled. "Well...you can't just focus on one type Setsuna. You never know what's going to be put on the test..."

"...And what do you mean by winner take all?" the defenseman asked, still confused.

"If you win it's the same..." replied Konoka. "...but if you get it wrong...then it's all over...

" Setsuna froze as she considered her new offer. She was feeling pretty confident in her skills at this point and it was getting late; maybe this was the best move. She sighed and nodded. "Fine...I'm in...winner take all it is..."

Konoka smirked as her eyes fell on the question she wanted to give Setsuna. It was difficult, but she knew that the defenseman could pull it off if she just focused on it; besides, she would technically be losing out too if Setsuna got this one wrong so she had to feel pretty confident."Alright...solve for x... 5x² plus 2x plus 1 equals 0...a equals 5, b equals 2, and c equals 1..."

Setsuna wrote it down quickly, noticing for the most part that the question sounded similar to the first one she was asked. At first she was confused, wondering why this particular question was such a big deal. It wasn't until she got to a certain point in her attempt to solve it that she ran into trouble.

_Whoa hold on a second...how do I take the square root of a negative number? You can't right? It's impossible right? So does it just end here? No, she wouldn't give me something that ended like that...I feel like we went over this too...I'm pretty sure I laughed when she told me because I thought it sounded stupid. What was it? _

She thought hard about it for several minutes, trying to remember what it was she laughed about. It slowly started to come back to her as she smiled and continued on; it was an imaginary number, that's why she thought it was so funny because it sounded so ridiculous. When she thought about it, this wasn't really any harder than the other questions. All she had to do was add that stupid imaginary symbol beside one of her answers and she would be set. As the defenseman finished up and put her pencil down, Konoka gave her a questioning look. Setsuna stood up and made her way over to the goaltender, handing her the notebook as she came to a stop beside her.

"Here you are miss..." said Setsuna with a smile as Konoka took the book from her. She then winked and slowly made her way behind the goalie in order to look over her shoulder at her work.

Konoka felt the light breath from the defenseman brushing by her neck, causing her to heat up as she looked the work over. Much to her extreme pleasure, Setsuna's answer was indeed correct. She couldn't believe that Haruna's plan had actually worked, also that Setsuna's drive matched that of a high school boy. She laughed in her head as she thought about how easy it was to get her favorite defenseman to actually learn something; maybe she should use this more often to her advantage, who knows when this could come in handy.

"Looks like you win Setsuna..." sighed Konoka playfully. "Oh damn...guess I gotta take off this jersey now..."

Setsuna decided that it was now time for her to have some fun and smirked as she moved her hands down to the bottom of the jersey. "Hey now...I won didn't I? So technically I should be the one to take it off yeah?"

The goalie playfully slapped her hands away. "No way...that wasn't part of the deal!"

"Oh come on now miss...it's only fair!" laughed the defenseman as she moved to wrap her arms around Konoka's waist.

"NOPE!" giggled the goaltender as she grabbed the defenseman's forearms.

The two girls then broke out into a playful battle of strength as Konoka tried to squirm away from the hold Setsuna had her in. There was laughing and little punches being thrown around while the defenseman tried her hardest to grab a hold of the bottom of her jersey. The goaltender had almost managed to get away, but Setsuna quickly sidestepped and adjusted the hold she had on her. Unfortunately while this was going on, the defenseman's foot hit the side of the coffee table, causing her to lose balance. Within an instant, Setsuna fell backwards onto the couch landing against the arm. Konoka shrieked as she felt herself also lose balance as Setsuna's arms tightened around her, also falling backwards onto the heap that was Setsuna. It was quiet for a few seconds before both girls began to laugh. As they were laughing, Setsuna couldn't help but feel Konoka pressing tighter against her with each breath she took in from laughing so hard. She then realized that the goalie was now basically sitting in her lap, wearing nothing but a jersey. Setsuna knew that they made a deal to wait until after midterms were over to fool around; but this was just too much. She moved in and slowly began to kiss the base of Konoka's neck.

The goaltender gasped at the sudden touch of the defenseman's lips and instantly stopped laughing. She had been waiting for something like this to happen, but wasn't expecting Setsuna to be the one to initiate it. She bit down on her lip as she felt the defenseman gently run her tongue along her collar bone, a shiver of pleasure slowing running up her body from her toes. Konoka then slowly reached up behind her and rested her hand on the back of Setsuna's head, pulling her head closer so that the goalie could feel the defenseman's mouth press harder on to her. Setsuna smirked as she felt Konoka begin to squirm on top of her, clearly enjoying everything she was doing so far. The defenseman quickly shot a look over to her door to ensure that it was in fact locked and that there was no way they would be disturbed; she wasn't going to let anyone or anything interrupt them this time.

Feeling the heat beginning to swirl and pool just under her bellybutton, Setsuna began to move her right hand down to the bottom of the hockey jersey. As she slowly began to lift it up while tracing her fingers up the goalie's stomach, the defenseman's left hand came up and gently turned Konoka's head to meet hers. As soon as Konoka turned to face her, the goalie leaned in and brought her lips hard onto the defenseman's for a slow, deep kiss, just as Setsuna's free hand came to a rest on her right breast. Konoka gently moaned into the kiss as she felt the defenseman begin to play with her nipple with her long, slender fingers. She remembered how good they felt from the first time they tried back at the party and instantly became more excited when she realized that she would soon be feeling them in a completely new way. Her own hand tightened on the back of Setsuna's head as she started to tangle her fingers through the silky, raven black hair. She was getting hotter and hotter as she bit down on Setsuna's lip, almost begging for the defenseman to continue.

"...not yet miss..." breathed Setsuna as she felt Konoka let go of her lip and gasp when she felt the defenseman's left hand join the right at her chest.

"...hhhnnn...but Set-Setsy...you're being so mean..." replied Konoka as her eyes slammed shut from feeling Setsuna's right hand playfully trace down her stomach, only to come to a stop just below her bellybutton before coming back up slowly again. "Y-you're not the one who's...huhhhh...s-supposed to be the tease..."

Setsuna made a small husky sounding laugh as she started to kiss at Konoka's ear. "I'm not huh? Don't tell me that all those other girls were put in the same position you're in now?" she smiled as she felt a sharp intake of breath come from the goalie in front of her from her lips being so close to her ear. "Good to know that I'm the first to touch you like this then...scored some points for myself there yeah?"

Konoka bit down on her own lip again as she felt Setsuna's finger slowly trace a circle around her bellybutton. "...mm...mmmhhhmmm..."

"Bet it's driving the princess nuts that she isn't getting what she wants right away huh?" asked the defenseman as she began to trace Konoka's ear with her tongue.

"Oh gods Setsuna...s-seriously..." breathed out the goalie as she made a grab for Setsuna's teasing right hand. "...please!"

Setsuna sent out another husky laugh as she broke her right hand away from Konoka's grasp and decided that she had teased the princess enough. She began to move it downwards and much to her delight, felt the goaltender slowly spread her legs apart. Konoka turned her head once again to bring her lips back onto Setsuna's, only to have them removed a few seconds later when her head tilted backwards to rest on the defenseman's shoulder; moaning between gasps as Setsuna's fingers slid down her front and made contact with an extremely wet, sensitive spot. The goalie's hand balled into a fist full of Setsuna's hair while said girl began to gently rub and tease at the slowly stiffening nub under her fingers. As she continued to circle and flick at the spot, she was rewarded with the satisfying sound of Konoka's broken gasps into her ear while she kissed at the goalie's neck.

Konoka had no idea Setsuna would be this dominant when it came to something like this and started to feel even hotter when she realized how much she liked it this way. Setsuna had been right earlier; she usually was the one to be the "top" with the other girls. She could honestly say, if she wasn't currently moaning or biting her lip at least, that she would be perfectly ok with Setsuna taking over like this. Of course, the goalie needed to have a little fun of her own at the same time, so she smirked and lifted both her arms behind her head; resting them on either side of the defenseman's neck before slowly grinding her hips into Setsuna's lap. It was her turn to laugh a little now, as she heard a surprised gasp come from the girl behind her. This is one of the few times that Konoka really appreciated just how curvy and rounded her ass was. She was feeling pretty good with herself, thinking that she had just broke Setsuna's concentration, when she let out a loud moan. The defenseman had just one upped her once again by gently sliding her long fingers inside of the goalie.

Things started to pick up rather quickly from this point, as Konoka rocked her hips in time with the in and out motion of the defenseman's fingers. The goalie had completely given up on trying to kiss Setsuna, as every time she attempted to, she would just end up gasping a few seconds later thanks to some move the defenseman pulled on her. She instead restored to taking Setsuna's left hand away from her breast and playing with the fingers. As the defenseman picked up the pace of her movements, the goalie picked up hers; arching her back slightly and even started to put Setsuna's finger into her mouth. The end was definitely nearing, and Konoka was beginning to not stand it anymore. With as much fight as she could, she turned her head and pulled Setsuna's lips to hers, engaging in a heated battle of tongues. A few seconds later Setsuna felt Konoka arch up and stiffen for a moment as she let out a final moan as the defenseman bit onto her lower lip.

Setsuna then laughed a little as she felt Konoka twitch slightly as she wrapped her arms around the goalie to pull her close. Konoka even giggled a little with how sensitive and light she was feeling, gladly turning slightly and snuggling into Setsuna's chest. The defenseman smiled as she began to gently stroke the goalie's long soft hair; it finally happened, they finally got together without any interruption. It was like a stadium full of fans was going off and cheering inside Setsuna's head and she couldn't help but smile. However, she wasn't smiling like a goof because of what just happened. The real reason behind her new bout of happiness came when Konoka's hair gently fell off her back and over her shoulder, revealing the big number fifteen on her back with the name "Sakurazaki" staring back up at her.

Two days later, Setsuna found herself standing outside of the math midterm doorway waiting to go inside. She was focusing hard, and was determined to get in there and show the team that she could do this. As her eyes shut to prepare, the defenseman felt a soft hand close around hers. Without opening her eyes, she already knew who it was and smiled; instantly feeling calm. The door then opened and her team mates and the rest of her class slowly filed in. Just as she was about to move in, Setsuna felt the hand pull her back. The defenseman was then greeted with a soft kiss to her cheek.

"I know you can do this Setsuna..." said Konoka with a smile. "Good luck ok?"

Setsuna smiled back and nodded. "Thanks Konoka...you too..."


	12. IMPORTANT!

IMPORTANT!

The PP! Update with the titled listed as Chapter 11 is messed up lol. The last chunk of the story is all smashed together into one giant, stupid looking paragraph. If you have an alert to this story, ignore that one and instead go to the one entitled From Math To Anatomy...that one's the fixed version.

Sorry for the ridiculousness, I have no idea why it happened when I submitted it the first time...as it looked fine on word...balls...


	13. Provoking A Warrior

**Sorry for the long wait again guys, again stuff got in the way...ANYWAY, here's the next installment!**

**...just so everyone knows...I'm sooooo excited to write the next chapter...wait until you see what's coming!**

**Enjoy and please review!**

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**Provoking A Warrior...**

Konoka was crouched at the ready, waiting for the shot to come from the opposing team's forward. It had been a tough tournament game so far, and the goaltender had faced a good amount of shots; only one had managed to trickle it's way past her out of the handfuls she had received over the last two and a half periods. She didn't let that goal get to her though, as the Warriors were in the lead by a good three points. All she needed to do now was focus on keeping the puck out for the next ten minutes and she'd be home free with the championship title in the bag. Konoka furrowed her eyebrows in deep concentration as the puck carrier continued to make her way down the ice while managing to get around her forwards with some difficulty. The goaltender paid special attention to her movements as she crossed the blue line; checking to see if it would be a straight shot or if the forward would attempt a last minute fake and deak. The goalie smirked to herself with confidence as she watched the forward's stick come up for a shot with no indication in her body that she would go for a fake. This was going to be an easy save for the top goalie in the league.

Just as the forward's stick was about to come down and make contact with the small piece of black rubber, she swung around in surprise as a defenseman came crashing down to steal it away. Once she stopped spinning, the forward looked around in a panic before her eyes landed on the girl who had taken the puck from her and was now blasting her way down the ice. Without so much as a second glance at the goaltender, she took off down the ice after her in desperate hopes to help out her own team. Defeated, and her hopes of making an awesome save quickly taken away from her, Konoka straightened up and shook her head; laughing as she did.

_Well...I should have seen that one coming I guess. Especially this close to the end of the game...there was no way she would let that kid have a shot at me...geeze...maybe I shouldn't have done so well in helping her with math. I'd have had plenty of shots still if that hot little girlfriend of mine failed the test!_

Konoka continued to laugh to herself as she tapped both of her posts beside her before pushing out to the spot just above the goal crease. Despite Setsuna's sometimes annoying ability to keep the puck away from the net, the goalie couldn't be happier that the defenseman had managed to make a passing grade in math class. She was extremely glad that her girlfriend would be staying on the team with her. Now they could make it through this tournament as a team; though, that team was almost torn apart a month ago when the test results were posted.

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**~One Month Earlier~**

"GODS DAMN IT! NOT AGAIN!" yelled Asuna as she angrily crossed her arms on her chest.

Setsuna laughed while Yuna and Makie broke down and rolled on the floor. "Asuna...I think that it might be time to put the PS2 away...who would have thought that you would get so worked up over a mission in Final Fantasy X-2...plus, you spend way too much time with this game now..."

"I blame the characters in general..." said Makie with a playful smirk. "...if the main three girls weren't so damn hot looking...maybe Asuna wouldn't spend so much time playing!" Setsuna couldn't help but laugh, knowing that this was definitely one reason for her friend to spend so much time with this game.

Asuna tossed the controller irritably on the couch cushion beside her before falling back in a huff. "You don't understand Setsuna...I've been stuck on this part for days...I don't remember it being this hard when I played it as a kid...maybe I should spend more time gaining experience for my characters before I try again..."

"Damn Asuna, if you put as much time into school work as you do with these games...you'd be the top of the class!" laughed Yuna as she tried to sit up, only to be lightly kicked back down to the ground by the pissed off red head.

Just as Yuna was about to jump back up and tackle her line mate which would inevitably start an all out playful war for supremacy, Haruna burst into the common room nearly out of breath. The four girls in front of the T.V quickly stopped what they were doing and shot their attention towards the forward in the doorway. It was quiet for a second, and Setsuna and Makie looked to one another in confusion; trying to see if the other had any idea for the sudden disruption. Finally, Haruna caught her breath and made her way over to the small section of her team.

"Guys..." began Haruna as she straightened out her glasses on her nose. "...our marks for the midterms just got posted online...I did awesome! Looks like the team's still stuck with me for a little while longer!"

Yuna and Asuna cheered while Setsuna sent a smile and thumbs up to the forward. Makie got up from the ground and excitedly hugged her taller friend. "That's awesome Haruna! OOOOOOOO, I should probably go check mine too! I'll be back guys!"

The rest of the girls all decided that they would do the same and quickly followed the pink haired defenseman out the door to head to the laptops in their rooms. On her way to her room Setsuna ran into Konoka in the hallway, and after a quick tackling hug and kiss from the goaltender, the two girls continued on down the hall; Setsuna explaining about the marks being up on the way. As she slowly opened the door to her room, the defenseman began to feel a panicky sensation settling in the pit of her stomach. Sure, she had managed to get through a rather...intense...study session and felt confident when she went into the testing room; but there was a voice in the back of her head that was telling her that something bad was in for the team. When she closed the door, she turned to find Konoka standing there, looking at her with warm eyes.

"Setsuna...I know you're feeling a little nervous about finding out your mark in math..." began the goaltender as she moved towards the defenseman, placing her arms around Setsuna's neck lightly. "...but I know you did just fine, there's nothing to worry about ok?"

Setsuna sighed happily and smiled as Konoka leaned in and kissed her on her nose. She then put her hands on the goalie's waist and looked into her eyes, feeling a little more relaxed as she did. "Yeah...I guess you're right. I'm thinking too much about this aren't I?...you go ahead and look first ok...I'm gonna grab a drink."

The defenseman smiled as she watched Konoka give her a cute little wink and nod before heading over to the coffee table where Setsuna had left her laptop from the night before. She then made her own way into her little kitchen, sighing as she took in the sight of all off the dirty dishes sitting in her sink. There was no way the defenseman was going to find a clean glass at this point, but she shrugged it off and started to rummage through the cupboards anyway. Just as she expected, there weren't any; so she slowly and painfully made her way to the sink and started the water running in order to wash up her dishes. As she cursed at herself for letting things get backed up so bad, she suddenly heard a squeal of happiness coming from the living room.

Laughing and shaking her head lightly, Setsuna turned her head slightly and caught a glance of her girlfriend doing a fun little victory dance in front of the laptop. "So...I take it you did well then?"

Konoka continued to dance around as she answered. "Yep! Nearly all A's and a few B pluses! Once again I prove that there's more to this air head that meets the eye!"

"That's awesome Konoka!" began Setsuna as she returned her attention to a particularly stubborn dried stain on a plate. She then began to mumble to herself. "...what I wouldn't give for at least a B minus..."

"Hey Setsuna...you look busy with the dishes..." sighed Konoka happily as she sat back down on the couch. "How about I check your marks for you and tell you what they are?"

"Yeah sure, sounds good."

"Alright...so what's your password?" asked the goalie while signing out of her school page. "I already know your user name..."

Setsuna suddenly froze and began to feel her face heat and turn a bright red. "M-my password? Uhhh...it's..." she then started to trail off.

Konoka squinted in confusion and turned to face the still frozen defenseman. "Sorry...what did you say it was?"

Again Setsuna trailed off. "It's..."

"Oh come on, just tell me already...you wanna know your marks right?" laughed the goalie.

"Fine..." sighed Setsuna in defeat. "M-my password is...Konochancutie...all...all one word..."

Setsuna could once again feel her face turn a deep shade of red and her ears start to burn as the embarrassment of admitting such a mushy password to her girlfriend completely sunk in. She could only imagine the look Konoka was giving her right now, not to mention what the rest of the team would think if they ever found out; she would be the playful punching bag for weeks. The defenseman started to think about all of the ways she could possibly get herself out of the mocking that would soon ensue; figuring that her best bet was to at least change her password. Suddenly, she heard a soft giggle coming from right behind her followed by a set of arms wrapping themselves around her waist.

"That's really cute Setsuna..." whispered Konoka into her ear with a light kiss to her neck. "...don't be embarrassed, mines lovemysetchan...they can be our little secret ok?"

Relief flooded through Setsuna just as quickly as the embarrassment had set in, only this time the red on her face was from a blush that had stayed from the unexpected child-like cuteness of her name. She should have known that it was useless for her to be embarrassed or think that Konoka would have made fun of her for her password; it was also more embarrassing to think that the goalie wouldn't have done the same thing. Once the small snuggle session at the sink had run its' course, Konoka gave her favorite defenseman one last kiss before leaving her to finish up the dishes and grab a drink while she went back to the laptop. It wasn't long before the typing stopped and there was a sudden uncomfortable moment of silence.

Setsuna sensed there was something off, so she turned to look at her girlfriend. "Uhh, Konoka...wha-what's wrong over there?" she then became nervous and gulped when she saw the vacant stare that the goalie was sending the screen. "...no...don't tell me that I ...failed?" she was then quickly making her way over to the screen as fast as her shaky legs could take her; hockey career flashing before her eyes.

Konoka stuck out her hand to stop the defenseman, and suddenly sent her a tear filled smile of happiness. "Setsuna, you aren't going to believe this but...you managed to pull off an A minus!"

"A...A...mi..nus..." was all Setsuna could stutter out before Konoka launched herself into the surprised defenseman's arms.

"I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT!" shouted the goaltender excitedly between the happy kisses she was currently smothering Setsuna with. "I knew you would pass!"

Setsuna snapped out of her surprised stupor, blinking a few times before finally smiling and realising that she had actually done it and was now being heavily rewarded for her efforts. She then laughed a little as she felt Konoka's soft lips brush along her cheek. "Hey, hey now...easy" the defenseman laughed as she watched the goalie look up at her with a cute pouting face before pulling her in for a hug. "I couldn't have done it without you Konoka...thank you so much for your help. I really do appreciate it."

Konoka's smile quickly turned into a devious smirk behind Setsuna. "Well...you know that there will be more tests right?...and it's always good to do some extra...studying...during the rest of the year..." she felt her favorite defenseman tense up under the hug and laughed inside her head. Then, the goalie playfully pushed Setsuna away, heading towards the door. "Let's go tell Asuna the good news...she's been listening to me talk about you and math for the past week and I'm sure she'll be happy to know that everything went well...come on!"

Before the defenseman could make any sort of response, Konoka grabbed onto her hand and pulled Setsuna out the door. As they made their way down the hallway, the two girls ran into the rest of team; all of whom were very pleased with the marks they received and looked forward to continuing their last year of hockey. Sayo even managed to get her first A plus ever in history, surprising everyone as no one knew she had such an interest in post World War I activities leading up to the second war. Kazumi was sure to give the defenseman in question a playful headlock, ruffling up her hair as she congratulated one of her closest friends. Finally after what seemed like one of the longest journeys down the hallway Setsuna had ever felt she had taken, the two opened the door and made their way into Konoka's shared room to find their ex captain.

When they entered however, they found that the lights in the room were off and that Asuna had left the laptop open and laying on the couch. It almost seemed like the ex captain had simply left the room; but neither Konoka nor Setsuna remembered seeing her in the hallway with the others. It wasn't until Setsuna moved more into the room that her ears picked up on it. Somewhere off to the side, was a faint sound of someone crying. Quickly, the defenseman made her way over to the bunk beds following the sound; only to find the usually fiery and energetic red head lying curled up under Konoka's blankets and pillows. Setsuna gently sat down on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on her fallen friend.

"Asuna...what...what's wrong?" asked the defenseman in a calm and soft tone. She waited for a response, but none came. Within a few seconds however, she felt a hand tap her on her shoulder. Turning, she found Konoka looking at her with her own tear filled eyes.

"Setsuna...she..." began the goalie as calmly as possible. "...she got a D...in English..."

/~~\\\

After a few hours of sitting in silence and listening to their ex captain softly cry into the goalie's pillow, Setsuna and Konoka finally managed to get Asuna up and out of bed and over to the couch. Konoka immediately went to the kitchen and started to make some tea and grab some snacks. Setsuna meanwhile, sat in silence in the chair across the living room and facing Asuna; wondering what the rest of the team was going to do when they heard the news that their top scorer and all around best friend was no longer qualified to play. The defenseman had her elbows resting on her knees, with her head in her hands; occasionally she would look up and sneak some glances at her friend, but couldn't take looking for more than a few seconds at a time. Asuna just looked so...dead...like her reason for living had been snatched away from her. It was painful to watch the red head just sit there with an uncharacteristic straight face and just staring down at her feet.

Konoka eventually came in from the kitchen and laid down her things on the coffee table, turning to offer her favorite defenseman some tea which she gladly accepted, before sitting down next to her best friend and roommate. She gave a quick glance to Setsuna before sighing and pressing on.

"Hey...Asuna..." began the goalie calmly and in her most caring of tones. "...It's going to alright...I'm sure that Negi must have made a mistake or something...I mean, you did study with Ayaka right? She should have been a good help for you..."

For the first time since Konoka and Setsuna arrived in the room, Asuna's eyes twitched and she brought her hand up to cover her face while she shook her head. "...that's just it...we sort of...well..."

"Sort of what?" piped up Setsuna suddenly as she came back into the conversation.

Konoka rolled her eyes at Setsuna before turning an angry look to the red head. "Asuna! You were supposed to study, not get down and dirty with the class rep! What were you thinking?"

Asuna rubbed the back of her neck, still un-blinking. "I...I wasn't thinking..."

"Friggin right you weren't thinking!" added Konoka under her breath, just loud enough for the red head to hear.

"But it wasn't my fault! You guys were the ones told me to go get help from her in the first place!" whined Asuna as she put her face into her hands. Then she began to mumble. "...plus...she's the one who came on to me...I'm only human guys!"

Setsuna sighed and squinted her eyes as she looked at her friend. "...ok, we did sort of accidently set you up for that...but still...it seems odd for Ayaka to throw away study time for play time..."

Konoka also sent a squinted glare to the red head. "Yeah...something doesn't add up there Asuna...Ayaka would never put anything school related behind something like that..."

Asuna then crumbled. "OK, OK...it was my fault..." she paused for a second to look quickly to both of the girls around her. "...We started to study, and I sorta noticed how Ayaka kept looking at me...after an hour or so...I told her that I understood everything and before she could test me on what I knew...I was on top of her..."

Both Setsuna and Konoka face palmed while the ex captain hid her face in shame. They couldn't believe that their red headed friend would blow her chances to play with her team on her last year, all for a little play time with their class rep. Sure, Konoka and Makie had originally planned for Asuna to go to Ayaka for help in hopes that eventually something would come out of it; but neither would have thought that Asuna would have picked up on Ayaka's feelings so quickly and do something about it when midterms were so close.

Setsuna had gotten up now and started to pace angrily around the room; as an ex captain herself, she knew how important it was to keep team moral up. If the others were to find out the reason for Asuna's failure in obtaining a C plus in English, they would be devastated. She needed to do something now to try and fix things before it got out, and she knew that yelling at her friend wasn't going to do that. The defenseman continued to pace around, chin in hand, deep in thought about what their options were. After a few moments of silence, Setsuna stopped dead in her tracks with an idea.

She put on a serious face and turned to look at her girlfriend and Asuna. The defenseman would need to hammer home a point before she set out on the next step. "Look Asuna...as a team mate, I'm pretty disappointed with your choice of actions...even though you aren't technically the captain any more, the girls all still see you as their leader. They aren't going to be very happy if they find out you chose something for yourself over the team's well being..."

"I know...I'm so sorry..." whimpered Asuna as she tried to avoid eye contact with the defenseman.

Setsuna couldn't help but smile a little at the sound of sincerity mixed in with the sad sound in the red head's apology. She moved closer and sent a nod to Konoka, assuring her that everything was going to be fine before moving in to rub Asuna's head playfully. "...As your friend however...I'm happy for what happened between you and Ayaka. It's about time you found someone to be with, and I'm glad that we pushed you into it. That being said, I feel it's my duty to help you out of this mess...you stay here with Konoka..."

Before either girl on the couch could ask her what she had planned, Setsuna had turned and was out the door. The defenseman quickly made her way through the dorm hallway, not stopping to talk to anyone unless it was to tell them that she was in a rush to go do some training on her own; she needed an excuse to explain the serious and determined look on her face, and everyone knew that when she was in workout mode there was no talking to her unless they were Konoka. Setsuna glanced at the clock at the end of the hallway before she made her way into the stairwell. If she hurried, she could still make it in time to talk with Negi before he left the teacher's lounge after setting up his lesson plan for the following week. She knew that he always spent his Saturdays at the school because she would see him coming or going whenever she went out for runs with Konoka. As soon as she got outside, Setsuna jumped down from the front steps of the dorm and hit the ground running as fast as she could, hoping that her plan would work.

/~~\\\

"I don't understand what's going on..." said Ayaka as she made her way down the hallway. "...what exactly are we doing Setsuna...and why are we being so secretive about it?"

The defenseman quickly looked around the corner of the hall to make sure they wouldn't run into anyone of her team mates before answering. "...I need you to help Konoka and I tutor Asuna..."

The class rep stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the raven haired defensemen in confusion. "What do you mean tutor? I thought that she already knew the ins and outs of English...that's what she told me the other night anyway..."

"Yeah well...Asuna sort of lied..." sighed Setsuna as she turned to look back at the blonde. "...basically...she said that just so she could use her time to...get to know you a little better..."

Setsuna ignored the irritated bursts of regret and annoyance towards her ex captain from Ayaka and continued along the empty hallway to Konoka and Asuna's room. She couldn't blame the class rep for the words that were coming out of her mouth at the moment; she was tricked into sleeping with the ex captain during midterm crunch time, and if the other girls on the team found out, they might very well hold her accountable for Asuna's failure. The defenseman knew that it wasn't Ayaka's fault and was glad that, despite being furious, she still agreed to help the red head out. As they came to a stop in front of her girlfriend's door, Setsuna quickly looked around to make sure that they weren't being watched before opening the door and signalling for the class rep to follow her in.

From the couch, Asuna began to look up to greet Setsuna back. "Hey Setsuna, any luck with whatever your plan wa-whoa..."

Ayaka shot across the room in seconds, grabbing onto the red head's shirt front and pulling her forward as she did. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING ASUNA? DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT SORT OF CORNER YOU'VE BACKED US BOTH INTO NOW? WHY WOULD YOU LIE TO ME? DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT YOUR TEAM?"

"Of course I care about my team!" replied Asuna after gulping in fear. She then tried to focus her eyes as best as she could on the enraged class rep. "...I...it's just...once I figured out that you had those kinds of feelings for me...I sort of...couldn't help it..."

Setsuna and Konoka both watched from their places at opposite ends of the room while Ayaka gently loosened her grip on Asuna's shirt. "...still...you really shouldn't have lied to me. You know how important it is for all sports participants to get the required grade in our classes...we could have saved that for later..."

"I guess you're right..." sighed Asuna with a sad ring to it. "I'm sorry...to you and my team...I should have been thinking more..."

"It's fine..." replied Ayaka as sat down next to her. "Anyway...what exactly is the plan now? Setsuna hasn't told me anything...she just showed up at my door and told me to follow her."

"I was just about to ask that myself..." added Konoka once she felt the tension in the room finally settle. "She left so suddenly and was gone for a long time...we started to wonder if she was even coming back..." she finished with a small cute laugh that caused Setsuna to smile and blush.

"Yeah Setsuna..." piped up Asuna. "What's going on?"

The defenseman walked over to the chair she had been sitting in only a short time ago and sat down, taking in the questioning looks being sent to her. She then smiled and leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees and folding her hands as if she was in the middle of a business meeting. "I went to talk with Negi about possibly changing the mark on your test..."

"You what?" asked Asuna in surprise.

"Can he even do that?" asked her girlfriend as she squinted and tilted her head. "That would be kind of...cheating...wouldn't it?"

Setsuna nodded her head and placed her index fingers on her lips. "That's exactly what he told me Konoka...Negi said that it was against school policy to change any of the final marks received on tests..."

"Alright...I'm not following you here bud..." said the ex captain deeply confused.

Suddenly, it all clicked into Ayaka's head. "I get it! You somehow convinced Negi to give Asuna another chance at the test! That's what you meant by helping you and Konoka to tutor her!"

Asuna's eyes grew wide. "You got me another chance to play on the team?"

Setsuna nodded and smiled, but before she could give a verbal answer, Konoka had shot from her spot across the room and onto the defenseman's lap in seconds. The goalie then proceeded to wrap her arms around her favorite defenseman and give her a nice rewarding kiss; almost forgetting that there were others in the room. After a few seconds, Konoka broke away and smiled. "That's my Setsuna...looking out for others, and always coming to the rescue..." she looked into her girlfriend's eyes dreamily, that is, until she felt a pillow make contact with the back of her head.

"Yeah yeah...we get it already..." said Asuna as she rolled her eyes playfully. "...Setsuna's your knight in shining armor...geeze..."

"Maybe you should take in a few lessons Asuna..." sighed Ayaka as she crossed her arms.

All of the girls laughed as Asuna mumbled something unintelligible. Setsuna however quickly snapped back to the clear reality that was still pressing in on them. She looked back up at Asuna, all signs of laughter vanishing. "Look, I'm glad we're all happy that you get this chance Asuna...but we all need to seriously get a move on with studying. Negi said he can only delay sending in the final grades into the school board for a day...you have to take the test by tomorrow afternoon, or you won't be back on the ice..."

All laughing stopped as Asuna threw her head straight down to her waiting hands. "I only have less than 24 hours to study and then pass this midterm?" she paused as she watched the defenseman nod; she then whined. "That's not enough time! I'm never gonna get a passing grade at this point! How am I gonna move it up a full letter grade in such a short time?"

Konoka got up from her spot on Setsuna's lap and made her way over to her best friend, gently placing a calming hand on the red head's shoulder. She smiled confidently as bi coloured eyes looked up from hands into her own. "Asuna...it's going to be fine. Sure, there isn't a lot of time...but you're forgetting that you have your best friends and team mates right here with you to help you out..." the goalie smirked and nodded to the side towards Ayaka. "...not to mention a certain class rep who, by the looks of it...would do anything for you...we're gonna get through this test...and we're gonna do it together Asuna, alright?"

The ex captain took a quick glance at the caring faces of her friends around her. She had to admit that just by looking at them, she felt at least some form of confidence begin to make it's way through her. "Alright...let's do our best guys!" she then got up and made her way over to Setsuna, who looked at her with a smile. The red head extended out her hand for the defenseman to take for a shake. "I really appreciate you going to Negi and asking for me to have another chance...you're a really good friend bud...makes me feel more like an asshole for everything that went down at the beginning of the year.

The defenseman shook her ex captain's hand and stood up. "That's all in the past Asuna...and you should know by know that I would do anything for a friend and team mate. Now...how's about we get you back on the team?"

/~~\\\

The little time between Asuna finding out about her second chance and the test soon came to an end, and now Setsuna, Konoka, and Ayaka all sat in silence outside of the makeshift testing room. Each of the three girls looked completely zapped of all energy; they had pulled an all nighter to ensure that they covered everything that they thought would possibly be on the test. Luckily for them, they felt their efforts go to good use as Asuna seemed to pay the most attention to the material that any of them had ever seen. The red head was in the zone, and she was facing this second chance with a new found confidence in her abilities. Hopefully, everything would fall into place for the ex captain during the test and she would come out victorious.

Setsuna sat in complete silence and stared at a blank space on the wall across from her, almost in a trance as her thoughts on what was going on in the room just behind the wall swirled around in her head. It was driving her insane knowing that one of her best friends was sitting in there, gods know if she's struggling or not, with the defenseman being powerless to help her now. She was conscious of the fact that her foot began to tap uncontrollably on the floor, but didn't seem to care considering she felt like her heart was going to come up and out of her mouth. The defenseman couldn't believe how nervous she was; and she wasn't even the one taking the test. Just as she felt as if she was about to tear up from the couch she was sitting on and burst through the door to take the test for Asuna, Setsuna heard a soft mumble coming from her arm. Her head slowly came back to her as she turned and saw that Konoka had finally given in to her worn out body, and lay her head down in a deep sleep on the defenseman's arm.

_Leave it to Konoka to fall asleep at a time like this...she deserves it though... between her and Ayaka's efforts last night, Asuna really shouldn't have any issue with passing this time around...plus, she does look really cute like this...it's almost not fair..._

Setsuna then smiled lightly and moved in to place a gentle kiss on the top of her girlfriend's head; earning her a happy subconscious sigh and a deeper snuggling into her arm. The defenseman then rested her own against the sleeping goaltender's, and carefully entwined her fingers with Konoka's. A calm then began to take over her body, and she couldn't help but smile a little. After Setsuna's head came back to her completely, she opened her eyes and glanced over to the class rep next to them. She was surprised to see that Ayaka, who was usually such a calm and level headed person when it came to situations like this, was fidgeting with bottom of her shirt; deep with worry.

The defenseman gently lifted her head just enough to make sure she wouldn't be speaking into the goalie's head before clearing her throat to grab the class rep's attention. "Hey...Ayaka...how you holding up over there?"

The class rep was startled by the sudden sound of a voice and quickly came too. She then tried to calm herself down before turning to face the defenseman as she rubbed at her temples. "I don't know Setsuna...I thought that I 'd be a little calmer now, knowing how driven Asuna looked while studying last night...but I can't seem to shake this feeling I'm getting...plus, you're team's gonna kill me if they find out I was a distraction during exams if that blockhead doesn't pass..."

"I don't think the girls would ever hold you responsible for any of this..." said Setsuna with a reassuring smile. "...they all know better than to do that. Especially if they found out how much effort you put in over the last few hours..."

"Still...it doesn't feel good..." she replied with a sigh.

The defenseman laughed a little, causing the blonde to shoot a questioning look at her. "If everything goes well...then I think a certain someone owes you a nice night out. Maybe then she can make you feel good!"

"That sounded dirty Setsuna..." said Konoka with a yawn as she stirred awake.

"Wha-wait...no! That's not what I...shit..." sighed Setsuna in defeat as both Konoka and Ayaka burst out in fits of laughter.

Just then, the door to the room opened and a very tired looking red head slowly shuffled her way over to the couch, flopping down in a heap as all eyes focused on her. The ex captain threw her head back and let it rest with a thud against the back of the couch; eyes closing immediately. There was silence as the three girls sat there staring at her, waiting to hear how she did. Unfortunately the silence was only broken when Asuna began to snore.

"ARE YOU FRIGGIN KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?" yelled the class rep as she grabbed Asuna's shoulders. "ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GONNA COME OUT HERE AFTER A STRESSFUL EVENT LIKE THAT AND JUST FALL ASLEEP? WAKE UP, YOU MONKEY BRAINED JACKASS!"

Konoka and Setsuna both face palmed as they watched their ex captain's eyes shoot wide open. "Wha...WHOA HEY, HEY I'M SORRY! I didn't mean too...I was just so tired...besides, Negi said he'd mark it now and come out when he was done to let me know..."

"...You're unbelievable sometimes...you know that Asuna?" added Konoka with a sarcastic mumble, followed by a deep sigh.

It wasn't long before the girls heard the slow footsteps of their young teacher make their way over to the door. As the handle began to turn, each one of them took a deep breath and froze in place; waiting for the fate of their best friend to be revealed. Negi stepped outside and scratched the back of his head as he continued to look down at the paper in front of him. He sighed and shook his head, causing Setsuna and the others to feel like their stomachs were dropping to their feet. It wasn't until Negi looked up and saw their long faces that he smiled and began to chuckle to himself.

"What are you laughing at?" asked Asuna from behind her hands. "...my grade couldn't have been that bad..."

The young teacher continued to smile and shake his head. "I'm laughing because as soon as I came out here, you all looked as if someone had died..."

"Well can you blame us sir?" added Setsuna with a troubling sigh. "...it's kind of a serious thing...possibly losing a team mate and all..."

"I'm sorry to have caused you four more worry..." laughed Negi as he rubbed the back of his neck. "...but I can assure that no one will be leaving the team..."

It took a second, but slowly the girls began to click into what Negi had just said. Konoka blinked a few times before stumbling for words. "...You..you mean..."

"That's right girls..." began the young teacher with a giant smile spreading wider over his features. "...Asuna will be strapping on her skates as a Mahora Warrior once again..."

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**~Present Day~**

Setsuna quickly made a hard pass up along the boreds for Akira to pick up and take off before she turned and made her way to the bench for a quick change. She was extremely happy with how her last shift in this championship game had turned out; the defenseman had managed to set up Makie for a nice goal from the blue line almost as soon as they got on, as well as made a nice check with an opposing forward who nearly got a shot off in their end. All in all, Setsuna felt that their first tournament went well; they managed to get through each round without losing a single game and even pulled through without T.O.T getting a single undeserved penalty. It would definitely feel nice to come away with a win from this one, especially since they were the hosts of the tournament. The only thing that would have made this tournament better...was if they were here. The defenseman grabbed a quick drink from her water bottle before moving down the bench to join her partner to watch the last little bit of the game.

"I'm so happy that we're gonna win the Mahora Invitational again this year!" cheered Makie as she bumped a gloved fist with her partner. "There's nothing like winning at home, yeah?"

Setsuna smiled and laughed a little as she watched her bouncy pink haired friend. "I'll definitely agree with you on that Makie...but, it still sucks that we couldn't win with a rematch against the Demons...what I wouldn't give for another crack at them..."

"I know what you mean..." began Makie before taking a drink of water. "I still don't understand why they didn't come to the tournament..."

"I heard that they couldn't come because too many of their players got kicked out of the last game they played..." said Sayo from in front of Makie. "Apparently...one of their girls got into a fight on the ice and caused a huge bench clearing brawl...I think I heard that someone even punched a ref in the face..."

Setsuna shook her head. "One hundred lunch tickets if anyone can guess who that was..."

"Definitely that psycho captain of theirs..." sighed Ako as she sent a sympathetic look to Setsuna.

"Uhhhh...speaking of her..." started Ku as she leaned out over the boreds; squinting into the crowd as she did. "...Isn't that her and some of the Demons sitting in the stands over there?"

Every one of the girls within earshot of Ku quickly turned their attention to the place where she was staring. Sure enough, the purple and black colours of the Kyoto Prep Demons' jackets could be seen in a cluster off in the corner of the stands. Setsuna's eyes grew wide as she took in the sight; the only thing running through her mind as the buzzer to end the game went off was what the hell were they doing here? As the defenseman made her way onto the ice to celebrate with her team and shake hands, she was sure to keep an eye on her old team mates. There was an uneasy feeling flowing through her as she went up to collect her gold medal after her name was called. She ignored the cheers sounding off around her, and instead focused on her psychotic ex girlfriend who was now standing behind the glass on the boreds across from her. Upon noting the defenseman's gaze, Tsukuyomi proceeded to breathe hard onto the glass to fog it up. Setsuna's eyes grew wide as she then watched her ex draw a heart in it, with their initials in the center before smiling a creepy smile and waving as she turned to leave.

The defenseman was at a loss for words as she slowly made her way back to her spot on the blue line. While the rest of her team mates were being called up one by one for their medals, Konoka and Makie made their way over to Setsuna to ask what was up; they noticed that she was unusually silent for just winning a championship game. She then proceeded to tell them who and what she just saw; Konoka became furious and Makie proceeded to look around in an attempt to see if she could still catch any sign of the Demons. It looked like they had left, but it was still troubling all of the girls who had seen them there.

As they made their way off of the ice, Asuna could sense that her team was quickly losing their excitement. "Hey guys, come on! So what if those losers were here to watch our game...maybe they finally realized that we're the better team and that they might actually learn something from us! Seriously...let's forget about those freaks and just have a good time...Haruna and Kazumi, I'm talkin' to you! I'm expecting a sweet party once we get out of here tonight!"

The team all laughed at their ex captain's attempt to lighten mood, and also offered some cheers of excitement at the mention of a party. Even Setsuna began to lighten up as she took in the new energy of her team mates. They made their way down the hallway and to their dressing room, laughing and planning all the while.

"Hey Asuna!" yelled Yuna from somewhere towards the back of the group up to where the red head was at the front. "You think that maybe I could have a rematch with you on NHL 2012 tonight?"

Asuna smirked as she reached for the door and started to push it open. "Hell yeah! You're so on Yuna!" she turned to head into the room. "Tonight, I'm go-...WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED!"


	14. A Warrior's Revenge

**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait!**

**Before you read, I know what you're thinking...this is a short chapter for one that's this late into the story...Answer: trust me, it needed to be this short in order to fit everything in properly for the next chapter...I promise **

**Hope you enjoy! And let me know what you think in the reviews!**

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**A Warrior's Revenge: Operation Demon Slayer**

"Asuna, what's wrong?" called Konoka from the middle of the group. She was confused as to why they had come to a sudden halt outside of their dressing room. She looked over to Setsuna for some sort of explanation; the defenseman shook her head, as she was just as confused.

The red head suddenly threw herself into the room, cursing as she did. "Oh hell no...this is fucking ridiculous! Who the fuck would dare mess with our shit! I'm gonna kill somebody!"

"Asuna calm down..." began Sakurako from a few feet behind her just before entering through the door. As she followed her in, the forward's eyes grew wide as she took in the sight before her. "Holy shit..."

The once proud and well maintained Warrior's dressing room was now in shambles. The walls were covered in what looked like torn up and destroyed pieces of red and black material, which was also thrown haphazardly all around the floor and benches. Tape balls and whatever garbage was in the can was now strewn about the floor in a disgusting display. Extra sticks were somehow tapped to the higher parts of the walls, and gear bags had all of their remaining contents dumped in a large pile in the center of the room. As Asuna was joined by Setsuna and Konoka at her side, she began to panic as her ears picked up on running water. Cursing out loud, the ex captain ran to the shower room and took the corner quickly. She stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes landed on the most devastating sight yet. The whole team had their clothes, shoes, and team jackets all thrown into the showers with water coming down hard on the sad looking pile. To top it all off, someone had taken red paint and wrote in giant letters across the tiled wall:

WARRIORS SUCK, DEMONS FTW

Konoka just stared at the sickening sight on the wall as Setsuna and Asuna tore off their skates and helmets and burst through the running water in an attempt to turn it off. The goalie was nearly speechless. "...no...no way..."

"Well...I guess we know who's responsible for this..." sighed Haruna in disbelief as she joined Konoka by her side. "Man...I really hate those guys..."

"Hate doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about those douchebags..." said Asuna through gritted teeth as she began to whip away any water from her face. "...I'm going to fuckin' kill them..."

Setsuna was joined by Makie and Akira and the three were now trying gather up all of soaked clothing and sneakers. She couldn't help but shake her head out of irritation; she should have known something like this would happen, especially after seeing her psycho ex in the stands. It was a sad sight as the defenseman looked down at her team mate's damaged belongings, and rage started to build within her knowing that there was nothing she could do about it. What was done was done; their humiliation would just have to be dealt with.

Once Setsuna made her way back to the main dressing room, she spotted the rest of her team mates gathered around her spot on the bench. She was just about to ask what was up when, Sakurako waved her over. Just as confusion and curiosity began to peak, the defenseman was handed what looked to be some sort of note. Setsuna just stood there, looking at it with question until Kazumi pushed the letter forward into her hands.

"It's got your name on it..." said the forward. "...Well...it says Sets anyway..."

Setsuna cursed out loud, causing Konoka to quickly rush to her side followed be Asuna and Makie. There was only one person who had ever referred to her as Sets; the defenseman could only imagine what she would find once she opened the note. "Well...let's see what Tsukuyomi has to say..." she then proceeded to open the note, every set of eyes able to catch a glimpse of what was written were now traveling down the page in unison.

**Dear Sets...**

**I hope you loved the surprise we left for you. Seems awfully fitting for a team filled with trash, don't you think? **

**But that's beside the point...look Sets, I know that what happened between us last year was horrible. I was wrong, and should have treated you better. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I miss you...and want you back...in every way possible. Don't you miss it? All those wild times we had together, some more...intense...than others. I know that deep down, you miss all that too...right? Of course you do.**

**Besides...I'm soooooo much better than that loud mouth skank of a goaltender you're currently dating...I mean, anything would be better than her. I'm actually disappointed that you chose someone like that in an attempt to replace me...**

**Anyway, you don't have to say anything now...you know my number still...take your time and I'll wait for your answer at Nationals...but...if you don't choose to come back, you can rest assured that the Demons and I will make the Warriors lives a living hell when we meet at Nationals...and you can believe that that goalie of yours will be getting some special attention from me...**

**Kisses**

**Tsukuyomi**

There was a moment of ear splitting silence as the girls who were able to read it took everything in, while the others just looked on in wonder. Then, the silence broken by Yuna. "WHO THE FUCK DOES THIS CHICK THINK SHE IS?"

"She's playing with us Yuna..." began Setsuna as she felt the rage flow through her at an all time high. She kept glancing down at the section related to Konoka and felt as if her head was going to explode. The defenseman took a deep breath and continued. "...she wants us to get ourselves worked up so that we make an ass of ourselves at nationals...it's what she's hoping for...she knows that's the only way she'll win..."

Mana reached out and took the note to look it over with the rest of the girls. "Still...I knew after our last time seeing them that she was nuts but this..."

"...Is a whole new level..." finished Kaede as she nodded and scratched her chin.

Asuna pushed through the group and grabbed the note, effectively shredding it to bits as she did. "I don't care what her fucked up tactics are...there's no way we're letting them get away with this! Not only did the Demons mess with our team...but their messing with two of our team mate's on a personal level." The angry ex captain turned to look at Setsuna and an oddly quiet and somber looking Konoka. "Look, this Tsukuyomi is nothing but a bitch...Konoka, cheer up...everyone here, and especially Setsuna, knows that you two are pretty much meant for each other. Don't let anything that Termaskank says get to you alright?" she was joined by nods of agreement and light cheers from the rest of the girls.

Konoka shook her head out and put on a brave face, pushing her feelings to the back of her head before answering. "Thanks guys...we really appreciate it."

"There see...one issue solved..." grinned the ex captain. She then jumped up on the bench and turned to face the rest of the girls. "But we still can't let them get away with trashing our room and our pride...we have to do something guys! We can't just go down like this!"

"I agree..." began Ku as she joined the red on the bench. "...but what exactly can we do?"

"Well...there's always the idea of retaliation..." all the heads in the room turned to face a small group of three sitting in the corner. From the center of the group, Evangeline had taken in everything around her and decided that she wasn't going to let anyone mess with her team or her things. She stood up, and was helped up onto the bench by Chachamaru while Chao watched on with a devious grin. All attention was on the short centerman. "...I think that it might be time to pay the Demons a...special visit...don't you?" she looked down to Chao.

"I couldn't have said it better myself Eva..." replied Chao with a thumbs up. She then smiled over to Ku and the rest of the girls. "Whattaya say girls...you feelin' some revenge?"

There was a loud cheer as the team erupted with excitement at the idea of revenge. They couldn't wait to show the Demons that they weren't ones to be messed with. Asuna told all of the girls to hurry up, get changed, and then clean the room as best they could before they all headed back to the dorm.

As Konoka threw on her still wet shoes and felt Setsuna grab her hand gently as they made their way out of the room, the goalie couldn't help but feel a little angry. She looked down at her hand intertwined with her favorite defenseman's, and for a split second, felt like tearing it away. She shook her head once again to try and rid herself of the odd feeling. For some reason though...it just wasn't leaving her.

_Does Setsuna really still know that psycho's number?_

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"Alright girls listen up!" yelled Asuna over the loud talking going on amongst the team in the common room. They all calmed down and began to listen to their ex captain. "Today...our team was fucked with by some low life Demon scum...and we all know that the Warriors aren't gonna roll over and take it, am I right?"

"RIGHT!" roared the girls seated around her.

The ex captain smirked and then continued on. "Good! That's just what I wanna hear! Now, T.O.T has come up with a sweet idea for our revenge..."

Evangeline then stood up and made her way to the side of the fiery red head in front of the T.V. "That's right...and in order for this to work, you lot need to do exactly as I say...EXACTLY!"

"Yeah, yeah..." laughed Sayo from her spot on the couch. "...We got it Eva...so what's the plan?"

The short centerman smirked and nodded her head, signalling for Chachamaru to dim the lights. "We're going to give the Demons a little taste of their own trash...tonight, we invade the Vortex..."

There was a murmur flowing around the room as all of the girls began to think about the proposed idea. This was definitely the way to go when it came to exacting their revenge; why not destroy their stuff just like they did to theirs? An eye for an eye seemed to fit perfectly. Setsuna was one of the only ones who remained quiet and deep in thought. As much as she wanted to get back at her old team for once again causing her new team trouble, she couldn't help but feel this was a bad idea. The more she thought about it, the more loose ends she found. Unless Evangeline was able to come up with a solid plan, the defenseman felt that this would only end in disaster.

"I have a question..." started Setsuna, all eyes falling on her. "How exactly are we going to do this without getting caught? I mean, I'm all up for getting back at the Demons and everything...but we also have to remember that we have a good distance to travel, our curfew, and how to get around the Vortex...I know my way around, but it wouldn't be a good idea for the whole team to group up and follow me...we would draw attention to ourselves for sure..."

Evangeline smirked as the rest of the team seemed to slowly voice their same concerns. "You girls have nothing to worry about...Chao and I have that all thought out and covered...and as for getting around the Vortex...Chachamaru has looked into it...with some help from Chisame of course..."

"Chisame?" asked Ako.

"As in Chisame Hasegawa, from class?" added Misa.

"Yes me..." the team turned their heads as one to where the voice of their classmate was coming from. Sure enough, Chisame was standing next to Chachamaru with her laptop in her hands and a cord dangling off to the side. "Chachamaru came to me, sayin you guys had some sort of team issues...not like I really care...and asked me if I could hack into the school's building layout and rink plans..."

Chisame then proceeded to make her way into the room, ignoring some of the cheers and pats on the back from the hockey girls. She then began to set down her laptop before commencing to hook it up to the T.V and set up her programs. After a few minutes, she was up and running and the T.V screen flicked to life to reveal some sort of presentation like display. Some of the girls laughed, while the rest looked on in wonder as they took in the sight of Evangeline's plan coming to life. Across the screen in large, blood red lettering was "Operation: Demon Slayer".

"Man Eva..." began Makie as she looked at the screen without blinking. "...how did you have time to come up with a layout for you plan in such a short time?"

"I have my ways..." she replied as she sent a nod to Chachamaru. "Anyway moving on, we're running out of time to get this plan going." The short centerman began to pace around the room, commanding the rest of the team's attention as she went. "From here on out, we shall refer to the plan as Operation Demon Slayer got it? No reason for Takahata and that little brat teacher of ours to know what we're talking about in case we run into them...now, here's how this is going to work. I will need us to break up into three teams and they are as follows! Chisame, hit the button!"

"Got it!" answered Chisame as she hit enter, mumbling to herself as she did. "...what a friggin blood sucker this one is..."

Evangeline carried on, despite hearing the insult from her glasses-clad class mate. "As you can see, I have come up with the following groups. Team Mahora will consist of Chao as leader, along with Misa, Sakurako, Modoka, Ako, and Zazie. Your job is to stay here and keep an eye on Takahata, Negi and even Kotaro. You have to use any means possible to make sure they don't find out we left campus, got it? IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO THIS!"

Sakurako's line shot up and saluted their smaller team mate. "Got it!"

"We won't let you down!" added Ako. "Right Zazie?" the girl in question nodded silently.

"Alright moving on to team White Wing..." said Evangeline as she resumed pacing.

"White Wing?" asked Yuna with a puzzled look. "That's a funny sounding name...why would yo-..."

"Because this team is in charge of actually sneaking into the Vortex and White Wing just sounds so stealthy..." interrupted the shorter girl with her eye beginning to twitch. "...now, can I please move on? As I said, this team is responsible for actually entering the Vortex...therefore, I have Myself, Setsuna, Asuna, Konoka, Kaede, Haruna, Ku, Makie, Yuna, and Akira. Our goal is obvious...enter the arena and destroy the Demon's dressing room."

"Sweet!" yelled Haruna.

"Awesome!" added Makie and Akira.

"FUCK YEAH!" cheered Asuna as she pumped her fists into the air. "I can't wait to get in there and tear that place up! They have no idea...no friggin idea what I have in store for them!"

Setsuna smiled to herself and began to feel excited. So far the plan looked as if it might just come together and work out for them. She was also happy to find out that she would get the chance to get back at her psycho ex with Konoka; it was sure to be a good time once Konoka unleashed her wrath on that Demon captain's gear. When she turned to look at her favorite goalie however, she was greeted with the still silent and irritated look Konoka had had back in the dressing room. Beginning to worry, the defenseman leaned in and whispered to her girlfriend.

"Oi Konoka...you ok?" began the defenseman as she wrapped an arm around the goalie's waist. "...you look upset..."

Konoka flinched lightly under Setsuna's touch. She was about to ask about the number thing angrily until she saw her favorite defenseman seem to freeze up before letting her arm drop and backing up. The goalie cursed at herself in her head for causing Setsuna to sport the look of confused sadness that was now on her face. She quickly looked to Setsuna's eyes and was reminded that this girl would never do anything to hurt her.

_So what if she still knows that psycho's number...they were dating for a few years, seems natural if it was still somewhere in her head...not like she would ever use it...gods I'm being stupid, I know that Setsuna loves me. I played right into her trap didn't I? Tsukuyomi...that bitch really doesn't know who she's messing with does she? I think I'm going to enjoy tonight..._

The goalie quickly settled into her normal demeanor and leaned into the confused defenseman; kissing her as she snuggled up into her side. "I'm sorry Setsuna...I accidently let what Tsukuyomi wrote get to me and I was taking it out on you. I should have known better...you would never go back to her after what she did, or even call her for that matter..."

It struck Setsuna hard then, and she began to feel horrible for not catching on sooner. She then pulled Konoka in closer and gently started to kiss the top of her forehead. "Konoka...I'm sorry, I should have picked up on it sooner. Of course I would never, ever go back to that...especially when I have someone as perfect as you are."

"I'm not perfect Setsuna..." giggled the goalie from under her arm, thinking about how silly she had been acting earlier.

"But you are..." replied Setsuna with a serious yet gentle tone. She continued to hug Konoka, resting her face in the soft chocolate brown hair she had grown to love since first meeting the goaltender. "...and to me you're more than that...so don't ever forget that ok? I love you."

Konoka sighed happily. "Ok, I promise I won't. I love you too."

"If you two are done being mushy back there, we still have some serious business to attend to!" yelled Evangeline from the front of the room. Konoka and Setsuna nearly fell backwards off of the table they were sitting on while the rest of the team giggled around them. Once the goaltender smiled and Setsuna sent a small salute signaling that they were, in fact done, the short centerman continued. "Right then...the last team we'll need is called Team Crimson Wing...AND BEFORE you ask Yuna, it's called that because crimson is dark and secretive like the night...much like we'll need our look outs to be."

The girls all turned to Yuna, who simply nodded in agreement. "Makes sense."

There was more giggling as Evangeline, Chachamaru, and even Chisame face palmed. "Glad you think so...anyway, this team will be made up of Sayo, Kazumi and Mana. Sayo and Kuzumi will head out with White Wing to scout and keep an eye out for any trouble we may come across. Mana...I need you to stay and keep an eye out for the coaches, feel free to stake out from the roof and use these..." Evangeline reached into her bag at her feet and threw Mana a walkie talkie set and a sling shot. "You are to use those to communicate with Team Mahora at the first sign of trouble...the slingshot is for creating distractions..."

"Yes mam!" said Mana as she caught her supplies before saluting.

"Hey! What about Kazumi and I...don't we get cool stuff too?" asked Sayo as she looked to her team mate with excitement coursing through her.

Evangeline rolled her eyes as she reached back down into her bag. "Here...you two get a set of talkies each...alright?"

"Awesome!" cheered Sayo and Kazumi together while high fiving.

"...once again, moving on..." the short centerman rubbed at her temples as she turned to nod towards Chachamaru. Her line mate then came forward to stand next to her, waiting for the next set of instructions. "Now, Chachamaru is about to go over the Vortex's layout. I suggest that White Wing pay special attention here...Chachamaru if you would start..."

"Of course..." the forward turned slightly to point towards the TV screen, which now had a picture of the Vortex's layout as well as the surrounding campus thanks to Chisame following her cue. "As you can all see, Vortex Stadium has several possible entrances...each with its' own set of pros and cons..."

Konoka leaned close to Setsuna and giggled as she whispered. "Geeze...it feels like we're trying to take out the Death Star or something..." Setsuna then quickly threw her hand over her mouth in an attempt to hold back from bursting out with laughter.

"...The first entrance is the through the front doors, which in terms of the target, is the closest..." said the forward as she directed her pointing to the entrance in question. She then sighed. "However...it also poses the greatest threat, as it is the most well lit and faces the girl's dorm where the Demon team lives."

There was a murmur around the room as the girls rolled their eyes and threw their hands into the air. Of course they wouldn't be able to use the front entrance; that would just be too easy. Even though she already knew this, Setsuna couldn't help but feel a little disheartened. She was hoping for a quick and easy job, with little to no interaction with anyone from her old school. With the front doors no longer being the best option, the defenseman could only imagine what her team would have to go through in order to get into her old dressing room. She sighed and crossed her arms as she continued to listen to the plan.

Chachamaru waited until Chao had calmed the others down once again before continuing. "Despite the fastest entrance being compromised, we still have a few other options. The second is to take the entrance leading into the gym...much like our stadium, the gym is in the same building as the rink and the two are connected by a stairwell. The only issue that we would have here is running into any of the team members who may be coming or going from the gym at the time...I would suggest that it might be wise to break up White Wing into two groups and have one of them go through here. That way, it won't look as obvious."

"Alright well that sounds great and all..." began Asuna as she scratched the back of her neck. "...but if one half of the team goes through the gym entrance, then...where does the other half go?"

"Yeah! I was just gonna say...cause there's no way we can risk sending the other half through the front entrance..." added Makie from her place beside a nodding Setsuna and Konoka.

Chachamaru smiled before continuing on. "I'm glad you asked that...this is where Setsuna's expertise comes in..."

Then it hit Setsuna; she knew exactly where Chachamaru was going with this one. "...I never thought about that Chachamaru...that would definitely be the best way for a small group to get in completely unnoticed...nice thinking!"

"What are you two talking about?" asked Yuna as she looked from defenseman to forward in confusion. "...could you let the rest of us in on this?"

Setsuna smirked. "What Chachamaru's talking about is the lone back door... the Zamboni exit facing away from the rest of the campus...once the ice has been cleaned for the night, the driver takes the tractor out back to dump the scrapped up snow and give it a good cleaning...the door stays open for a good hour or so while he cleans it before locking up for the night, which would give us our in if we can slip by him...and the good news on top of that is, there's a smaller door next to it that opens from the inside...we can get out the same way once we're done without setting off any alarms!"

"That's Awesome!" cheered Kazumi and Sayo.

"Way to go Chachamaru, Setsuna and Chisame!" added Makie as she jumped up and down.

The rest of the team all joined in with celebrating as their plan of revenge finally seemed to come to a perfect close. They now had their teams, their goals, and of course their ways in and out. As long as everything went smoothly, they would have no problem getting back at the Demons for humiliating them or avoiding getting caught and punished. Even Evangeline had an out of character smirk of true happiness resting on her now; thanks to her, they would have their perfect revenge.

Konoka however, stopped cheering and stood up from where she was seated on the table; Setsuna then stopped and looked puzzled towards her girlfriend. The goalie then cleared her throat, causing the rest of the team to ease up on their celebrating. "One last thing...just how do we plan on getting there? There are technically twelve of us leaving campus...we can't take the trains because that would take too long and Kaede is the only one with a car that can take five people including herself..."

"She's got a point..." sighed Ako. "How are you guys gonna make it there before the Vortex locks up or back?"

Evangeline facepalmed. "Shit! I knew I forgot something..."

"You forgot to think about transportation? Really?" asked Asuna as she also face palmed. "Well...there goes that plan...Demons fuckin win this round I guess..."

"Now just hold on a minute Asuna..." started Setsuna as she stood up to join Konoka. She had been thinking about this since the plan was brought up and tried to figure out on her own how to get there. It occurred to her that she knew exactly how they could get to her old school...and maybe have some help once they got there. She looked up at the now confused ex captain and the shorter centerman at the front of the room. "I know how we can get there..."

"Well, unless you can pull another two cars out of your pocket...we're pretty much screwed..." said Evangeline as she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Well actually...that's kinda what I'm gonna do..." the defenseman then laughed to herself as the whole team, including Konoka sent her questioning looks. Setsuna reached down into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone, quickly running her thumb over the screen to her contacts. She smiled when her eyes landed on the one she was looking for, knowing that they would be more than happy to lend a hand. After hitting talk, she put the phone up to her ear as the rest of the team continued to look on. After a few rings, the other side picked up. "Hey it's me...look, there's no time to explain now...but do you think you'd be up for a little revenge on the Demons?"


	15. Old Friends Shed New Light

**Ok...so I'm really, really sorry for taking so long to update...sorry...**

**BUT HERE IT IS!...and just so you all know, there's a bit of a treat with this one. The chapter is turning out to be double this size, so I figured I'd let you have this half while I finish up the second half! Basically, count on another update within a few days of this one! Nice!**

**Also...I need to take a moment and apologize to Misora...Misora, I'm sorry I accidently left you out of planning out the Teams in the last chapter...I hope putting you with White Wing will make up for it, and also look forward to having a decent part in update #2! **

**Anyway, hope this will hold you over until I finish up the next part, I promise it won't take too long! **

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**Old Friends Shed New Light**

Once the girls broke away from the common room, Team White Wing along with Kazumi and Sayo all took off to their rooms to gather supplies. They only had a very short time to prepare themselves before the drives Setsuna called for arrived, making it essential to rush and grab anything they deemed needed in order to deal a devastating blow to the Demons. Setsuna followed Konoka and Asuna back to their room, laughing the whole time as she watched an almost creepy look of childlike excitement spread across the faces of her two accomplices. The defenseman couldn't help but to just shake her head; those Demons were definitely in for a treat.

After rushing around Konoka's room in an attempt to help her and Asuna grab as much as possible, Setsuna saluted and made her way to her own place. There was just one special thing that she wanted to grab to leave for her old team, but it needed a little work before it could be useful. As she burst through her door, the defenseman ran to her desk and opened up one of the drawers. She reached in and smirked as she felt her fingers wrap around what she was looking for. Pulling it out, the smirk became a smile as Setsuna lay out the once balled up pair of purple and black hockey socks on her desk. Ever since that day that Asuna came across them in her gear bag, Setsuna was determined to somehow use them to get back at her old team. She sat down and once again reached into her drawer and brought out a black Sharpie. For a few moments she just sat there, deep in thought about what it was she should write on the purple staring back at her. It had to be something good, something that would sum up all of her feelings towards them over the last year. Keeping an eye on the clock across the room, she grew antsy as her time was slowly running out to think of something. Just as she was about to give up and just tear the socks apart, it came to her. Quickly, she threw the top to the marker off to the side and scribbled down her message. Upon finishing, Makie, Asuna, and Konoka showed up at her door with near bursting bags.

"Come on Setsuna, hurry it up!" yelled Makie excitedly.

"Yeah, the drives should be here any minute..." added Konoka as she walked over to her girlfriend. "...which reminds me...who exactly was it that you called?"

Setsuna smiled and reached up to playfully ruffle her girlfriend's hair. "You'll see...I think you guys' are gonna like them."

Konoka leaned in a little closer and smiled deviously. "Well if they're anything like you...I don't think I could handle all that." The goalie then laughed as she watched her girlfriend roll her eyes and shake her head.

"Uh Setsuna, you aren't going dressed like that...are you?" asked Asuna from the door as she looked her friend over.

The defenseman looked away from Konoka and gave herself a once over. "What? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" She continued to look confused as she shrugged and stared at her ex captain.

Asuna laughed. "Dude...you don't look stealthy enough. Hurry up and change into our black team hoody and shorts...the red is a dead giveaway."

"Yeah I guess you're right..." she sighed in response. "You guys go meet up with the others, I'll be down as soon as I change."

"Well hurry, we only have about fifteen minutes before your backup gets here!" yelled Asuna over her shoulder as she pushed a confused Makie out the door, following right behind her. No one noticed the small look of irritation on the ex captain's face.

Setsuna laughed and once again shook her head as she watched the odd departure of her partner and ex captain. She guessed that they must just be excited to get things going and that's why Asuna was being so pushy. It wasn't until she re-opened her eyes that she noticed she wasn't alone in the room. Konoka had quickly made her way past the unsuspecting defenseman and closed the door, locking it as she did. Whatever confusion Setsuna had at that moment quickly turned into unexpected panic as she felt Konoka crash into her, causing the defenseman to land with a thud as her back hit the wall behind her.

"Whoa! Konoka, what are you..." it seemed to suddenly click into place for Setsuna as she felt the goalie's lips start working at her neck. She gulped and tried to keep a clear head, knowing that she really shouldn't give in; they had a mission to do. "...we can't right now, we don't have much time..."

"We have fifteen minutes, you heard Asuna..." replied Konoka in a breathy whisper as she moved up to Setsuna's ear, smiling as she felt her defenseman tense up. She then began to pull Setsuna's shirt up and over her head. "Besides...you soooooooo need help changing...and the thought of us running around, being all sneaky really does do it for me..." Completely ignoring any unsure groans from Setsuna, Konoka then began to move her kisses down her body and stopping at her stomach.

"Gods damn it...you were planning this, weren't you?" asked Setsuna before taking a sharp intake of breath and tangling her hand in Konoka's hair. The goalie was making it hard to resist as she slowly played with Setsuna's belt and zipper.

"Well duh..." replied Konoka with a playful eye roll as she made a grab for the waist of Setsuna's pants. "...who do you think got Asuna to tell you to change? You can thank her later for making this deal with me...her fault for not letting me see how tonight would play out with my cards..."

"K-Konoka!" was all the defenseman was able to get out as her girlfriend made her next move...

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Twenty minutes later Konoka opened up the door and ran down the hallway, laughing, as Setsuna followed her out; somehow getting her head caught in the arm of her hoody. After the little distraction from the goaltender, the defenseman had to rush to put clothes back on and finish grabbing her things. Finally as she reached the stairs, Setsuna managed to situate her hoody and throw her backpack over her shoulder. She flew down the stairs and practically gave Konoka a heart attack as she jumped over the last railing and landed with a thud beside her. After sticking out her tongue and receiving a playful punch from her girlfriend, the two finally made it outside.

"Well, thank you for finally deciding to join us..." sighed Evangeline irritably. "You're lucky the drives haven't shown up yet..."

"Sorry Eva...it was my fault..." replied Konoka as she and Setsuna came to a stop once they reached the group.

Kazumi giggled as she eyed the slightly off looking pair. "Yeah, I bet it was...that was awfully quick then, wasn't it?" Instead of an answer, the forward got a playful punch to both shoulders from the two girls.

The rest of the group laughed as Kazumi rubbed both of her arms and made little kicks at her two friends. It was nice to be able to joke around like this because soon, things would turn serious and the Warriors would have to keep their heads if they were to pull off their revenge. Nerves were also beginning to set in as they stood hidden behind the dorm at the rendezvous point, thoughts wondering to what may become of them should they slip up or be caught. Trying not to fall into her own head, Setsuna kept glancing at her phone to check the time, wondering what was taking them so long.

Just then Yuna's phone went off, causing the entire group to jump before realizing she was getting a text message. The forward laughed as she rubbed the back of her neck and clicked the message open. "Zazie wants to know if we left yet...gods, she talks more through texts than in real life...there's like a whole friggin novel written here about what Team Mahora is doing..."

"Well, we should have left by now..." began Setsuna as she once again checked the time. "Where are th-..."

Out of nowhere, Setsuna was tackled to the ground from behind. The whole group froze immediately. "SETSUNA! Long time, no see buddy!"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, the defenseman began to laugh. She quickly rolled over and ruffled up her attacker's hair. "Should have expected you'd be late Mei...you always were when it came to morning practice!"

"Hey come on now..." replied Mei as she pulled Setsuna's hood over her head and tugged the strings to close it. "You know I'm not good with mornings!"

The rest of the group looked on and laughed at the mini wrestling match taking place in front of them. Even Konoka couldn't help but face palm and shake her head playfully; she should have known Setsuna would call her old friends, they were always there for her before. Just then, the goalie felt someone else stop beside her. Without even looking up, she already knew who it must have been.

"Geeze Mei, it hasn't even been five minutes yet and you've already tackled the poor kid to the ground..." said Takane as she shook her head. "What's her team gonna think of us...better yet, what's her girlfriend gonna think?"

Konoka laughed and leaned over to the new girl beside her. "I think it's really cute...I love seeing her happy like this." She smiled as Takane laughed and sent her one in return.

Setsuna freed her face from its' hooded prison and shot up from the ground, extending a hand out to her old defense partner and best friend. After pulling Mei up and slapping her on the back, the defenseman smiled and turned to her team mates. "Guys...this is my old D buddy Mei and my best forward friend Takane...Mei and Takane, these are my girls."

"These are your girls, huh?" laughed Mei as she elbowed her friend playfully. "Wow...you move fast Setsuna!"

"I like this one!" laughed Kazumi as she looked to her team and motioned her hand towards Mei. The whole team burst out laughing as Setsuna reddened and Mei ruffled her friend's hair.

Takane joined in the laughter as she walked towards her old friend. "Do your girls have names or what?"

Setsuna laughed and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, of course. Starting from the left there we have Evangeline, Chachamaru, Kaede, Ku, Yuna, Kazumi, Sayo, Akira, Misora, Haruna, Asuna, my new D buddy Makie and then my goalie and girlfriend Konoka."

"Yo!" said Yuna with a salute.

"What's up?" asked Haruna with a smile.

"It's cool to finally meet you guys!" added Makie excitedly.

"It's cool to finally meet you guys too..." began Takane as she continued to glance around the group with a smile. "Nice to finally be able to put some faces to the names Setsuna's always texting us about."

Mei quickly made her way over to a still giggling Konoka and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, smirking as she did. "Especially when it comes to this one...you wouldn't believe some of the things Setsuna wou-..."

"Oi Mei! They don't wanna hear about that stuff..." said Setsuna as she rushed over to cover her friend's mouth.

The defenseman's face was slowly turning a light shade of red, which made it worse as now everyone, including Konoka looked interested in what Mei had to say. It wasn't as if she said horrible things about the goaltender; it was quite the opposite. The things she would talk to Takane and Mei about when it came to Konoka were very...personal...and were sometimes just downright mushy and embarrassing. If she allowed for Mei to continue, she would never be able to live down the jabs and playful mocking that would follow from the rest of her team mates. Luckily for Setsuna, a certain short centerman was growing extremely impatient.

"As much as I do so _enjoy_ reunions..." began Evangeline as she moved into the center of the group. "We seem to be forgetting one important thing...let's see what was it...oh yeah!...WE'RE ON A MISSION OF REVENGE AND WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!"

"Evangeline, please calm down..." said Chachamaru as she moved in to pat her shorter line mate on the head. The taller girl looked around the group and nodded. "She does have a point though...we really should be getting a move on."

Asuna suddenly shot back into her serious revenge mode, throwing a fist into the air as she did. "Alright girls, it's finally time...let's head out to the cars and get this party started!"

With a silent cheer, the large group of girls quickly made their way to the dorm parking lot. Upon reaching the cars, Takane popped her trunk and told them to put whatever bags they could in there in order to free up some space since the cars would be pretty full as is. As soon as most of the supply bags were ditched, the girls began to break off into drive groups. Kaede made her way to her car followed by Ku, Yuna, Misora and Haruna. Thankfully, Mei had a nice big SUV so taking six girls with her was no problem. Her drive group would consist of a still irritated looking Evangeline, her calming accomplice Chachamaru, Kazumi, Sayo, and Akira. Setsuna was just about to follow Mei's group when she noticed that the car was full if she added herself into the mix. Feeling like it would be rude to up and leave Konoka, the defenseman turned around to head back to the goalie's side. Instead of being accepted however, Setsuna found herself being turned back around and playfully pushed into the front passenger seat of Mei's ride.

"Konoka...I thought we could drive together..." whispered Setsuna in a slightly saddened and confused tone. "Why are you doing this?"

Konoka smiled deviously before giving Setsuna a quick kiss. With her hand on the door, she felt it right to have a little fun with her favorite defenseman. "Well, I wouldn't wanna separate you from an old friend...besides...I wanna have a niiiiiiiice talk about you with Takane. I wonder what fun stuff I can find out about you from her..."

With that, she closed the door and laughed as Setsuna brought her hands up to the window in a panic; the defenseman was doomed. Konoka continued laughing as she made her way back to Takane's car, definitely pleased with herself for messing with Setsuna. She loved seeing the defenseman get all embarrassed and jumpy sometimes because she thought it made the usual tough look about her turn to one of cuteness. Even though she was kind of joking with Setsuna, the goalie really did want to get to know her better through her old friends. She wanted to get a better insight into who she was before that fateful day they met on the school stairs over a dropped textbook, and what better way to do that than with someone as close to her as Takane seemed to be. She was also glad that Asuna and Makie ended up being in the car with her, as she assumed that as some of Setsuna's best friends, they would want to know more about her too. With one last glance to the dorms where the rest of her team was waiting on standby, Konoka nodded and hopped into the front seat, excited to talk about her girlfriend and to finally exact her own personal revenge on a certain Demon captain.

Meanwhile, at Kaede's car which was parked around the corner and out of sight of the other two cars, the girls were trying to get themselves situated. The tall defenseman's car wasn't the biggest vehicle, making it difficult to get them all in comfortably. Yuna had accidently forgotten to put her bag into Takane's trunk, so the others were getting on her case to get out and throw it in the back. With a sigh and some sarcastic comments, Yuna opened the door and stepped outside followed by Kaede in order to unlock the trunk so she could get rid of her bag. Just as the two girls opened it up, they were greeted by someone yelling at them from a few feet away.

"Oi! What are you girls up too?" asked a confused Kotaro. He had just finished up organizing the girl's things at the rink and was on his way back to the boy's dorms when he came across the scene. His eyes squinted as he slowly made his way over to the car. "Where are you girls heading out to...and what's with the bag?"

Panic struck through Yuna and Kaede. There was no way they could give him an answer that wouldn't sound suspicious as to why they were leaving campus. What was worse was they knew the younger boy would probably say something to Negi about it, which would ultimately lead to Takahata finding out; and if he found out, it was game over for the Warriors. Without even thinking about the consequences, the girls made their next move.

"GET HIM!" yelled Yuna as she held the trunk open.

Kaede was on the shocked Kotaro in an instant, grabbing onto him and quickly placing him into the trunk. Before the young boy could even get a word out, the tall defenseman rubbed the back of her head apologetically. "I'm really sorry about this Kotaro...but it has to be done..."

"BUT WHAT ARE Y-..." Kotaro's questions were muffled quickly by the closing of the trunk door.

Once the door was closed and only the sounds of a light banging could be heard from the inside, Kaede turned to face Yuna. "...send a text to Evangeline and Chao...looks like we may have a little trouble..."

Yuna nodded with a sigh as she began to thumb at her phone. "Well...I can just see how this night's gonna go...I mean, we haven't even left campus yet and we can already call ourselves criminals..."

Both girls shook their heads as they made their way back into the car; not knowing that Yuna's guess could not be more right. The Warriors, both on campus and away...would be in for a long night.

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"Mmmph mm mphmmm!"

"Hey guys…I think I can still hear Kotaro…" said Misora as she leaned into the seat behind her. Upon hearing more muffled yelling and banging from the kid in question, her face turned into one of concern. "Technically it's illegal to drive with someone in the trunk…if someone hears him from outside when we're stopped at a light…"

Yuna laughed and shook her head. "Dude you worry too much, nothing's gonna happen…" she stopped when she watched a cop car sail by. "…You know what, Misora may have a point there…Ku, Kaede, what should we do?"

The two girls sitting in the front of the car both shrugged; neither of them was sure what to do in order to keep their kidnapped team manager quiet. It hadn't been long since they had left, and ever since Kaede closed the trunk Kotaro had been kicking and yelling for the girls to let him out. As much as they would have liked to let him go, the girls knew it would definitely come back to bite them on the ass and they couldn't afford to have things slip up this soon.

"I think I may have an idea guys…" replied Haruna as she leaned in through the two front seats form her spot in between Yuna and Misora. "We can drown him out with music!" the forward smirked to herself as she cranked the radio up and heard the music come blasting out.

"You're a genius!" said Yuna.

"What?" replied Haruna as she slumped back into her seat.

"What?" asked Yuna with a confused look.

"…it's going to be a long drive…" said Misora with a laugh to herself.

From the trunk, Kotaro cursed to himself as he heard and felt the music start to vibrate through the small car. He still had no idea as to why he had been taken so abruptly, or why Kaede and Yuna looked so panicky when he called out to them back in the parking lot. All he knew now was, as soon as he got out of this trunk, he was going to give the girls a piece of his mind. He then proceeded to clap his hands over his ears, as the sound of singing so off tune it would give him a run for his money, came floating through the barrier in front of him.

From a few cars ahead of the mini concert going on, Setsuna had just finished laughing at an old story Mei was telling the rest of the girls in the car. It was nice to have Mei around again, and she could honestly say that she and Takane were the one true thing she missed about playing on the Demons last year; they almost made everything else that had gone on forgettable. She sighed after a few memories of the previous year flashed through her mind. After she had gotten kicked off of the team, Mei and Takane were put through hell by the others for being the cause of Setsuna finding out about Tsukuyomi's cheating and backstabbing. They had basically become the team's punching bag and were the center of ridicule until the year ended and they graduated, finally freeing themselves. Setsuna had tried to do her best to protect them, but found that her being in their company only made it worse for them; as much as she hated herself for giving in, she isolated herself form them until they graduated, knowing that they were better off without her. She knew that no matter what she did, she would never be able to make it up to them and would never be able to fully thank them for being there for her, for everything throughout her life or…for being the ones to put into motion the events that would lead her to the Warriors and to the one person who meant everything to her…

From the corner of her eye, Mei caught her old defence partner sighing and smiling to herself. With a small head shake and laugh, she cleared her throat to try and get Setsuna's attention. "She must really be something…huh Setsuna?"

"Hmm wha?" replied Setsuna as she slowly started to snap out of her thoughts on Konoka. She turned to face Mei a little better and instantly felt embarrassed when she saw the smirk her old friend was sending her.

"Guess that answers my question then doesn't it?" said Mei with another laugh. "That's more like the old Setsuna…Takane and I were starting to worry we wouldn't see you this way again."

Setsuna eyed the rest of her team in the back, relaxing more when she noticed that they were all now too preoccupied with bugging Evangeline than to pay attention to her conversation. Feeling more relaxed, she then began to smile and scratch at the back of her head. "Yeah well…it wasn't easy getting to where I am now, but I'm definitely glad I let Konoka in…especially after everything that happened…"

"Come on Setsuna, we've told you over a million times already…" began Mei upon hearing the hurt in her old partner's voice. "…it's Tsukuyomi's fault, there was nothing you could have done…besides, you're so much better off without her. Trust me, I know…even though I've only seen the two of you together for the first time today…you look like you completely belong with Konoka, happier than you have ever been…"

"I completely agree with you Mei, I really do think I am…" Setsuna smiled and looked out the window, catching Takane's car passing them as she did. She laughed as she saw Konoka reach across her old forward friend to wave, followed by Asuna and Makie squishing their faces against the glass and sticking their tongues out at her. "…happier than I've ever been…"

Meanwhile in Takane's car, Konoka slumped back into her seat and joined in the laughter that was coming from Asuna and Makie behind her. It had taken some pleading, but Takane had given into Konoka's pouting and overtook Mei's car in a playful race. The goalie then smiled and thanked the older girl for allowing her to mess with Setsuna; despite only being around her for a short period of time, Konoka had to admit that she definitely liked her. Of course, she had already thought the world of Takane and Mei for just simply being there for her favourite defenseman.

"It's no problem Konoka…" replied Takane with a laugh of her own. "…it's been a while since I had a chance to mess with Setsuna, and I know that not being in the lead will bug Mei too…honestly, the two of them together…I always felt like I was babysitting instead of hanging out with two friends…"

Asuna then perked up and leaned over the middle armrest between the two front seats. "You're telling me that Setsuna…that usually bashful, good goody little bird brained friend of mine over there…was a trouble maker?"

Takane smiled and laughed again as she felt three sets of eyes suddenly fall on her, deep with interest for some dirt on their friend. "Are you kidding me? I'm surprised she hadn't told you about some of the problems she used to get us into when we were younger…like the food fight her and Mei started back in middle school…I had rice in places I never thought I would ever find it…they got a month's detention after that, and because I knew they wouldn't last there alone…ended up getting myself into trouble by throwing my drink at a teacher…"

"That's the greatest thing I've ever heard!" said Asuna as she broke out into hysterics. "I can't believe Setsuna was such a badass when she was younger! I definitely need to keep that one for later!"

"I totally would never have expected that from her!" added Makie. "She always seems so level headed, especially on the ice."

Takane nodded. "Yeah well, it seemed liked hockey was the only thing to get through to her then. Of course, I never really could have blamed her for the way she used to act…not with her past anyway."

Konoka's eyes then suddenly light up at the mention of her girlfriend's past. This was something she had wanted to talk to Takane about since entering the car back at the dorms. Even though she and Setsuna had been together for a while now, there were still a lot of things she didn't know about the raven haired defenseman. Every time she tried to pry into her girlfriend's past, Setsuna would quickly change the subject or make it too difficult for her continue asking by finding ways to take her mind off of it. Now that she had a chance, the goalie felt a need to jump on it. She was going to get to know favourite defenseman better, and Takane was just the one to help her do that.

"I've always wondered what she was actually like as a kid, she always seems to get away from those questions when I ask her though…" began Konoka. "Takane…if it's alright…do you think you could tell me about her?"

"Yeah, like why she has that obsession with her stick…" added Asuna.

"…and how she convinced her parents to transfer her to a different school in her last year." finished Makie.

Takane's grip slightly tightened on the steering wheel as she took a deep breath. "I knew she probably wouldn't say anything about it…and even though I know it should come from her, we'd be waiting forever for her to come out with it…I guess it's only fair that I at least tell you three, just don't go saying anything to her about it ok?"

"Sure" said Makie and Asuna together. Konoka simply nodded and waited for the older girl to continue.

"Setsuna's past, including everything the two of you have asked, are all linked together…" began Takane with a sigh. "…When Setsuna was just starting middle school, she lost her mother to a long battle with cancer. It was really hard on her because her mother was always there for her…every game and practice…every bump and scrape…it had always just been the two of them since her father was always away on important business trips. She was lost for the longest time after that, and the only thing that had kept her going was hockey…it was the one thing she remembered that her mother truly enjoyed watching…that's why she's so serious on the ice or so dedicated to training…she does it to keep going for her mother…her father was the one to let her transfer schools, because he just wants to do everything possible to keep her happy…and as for the stick, Yunnagi was the last one she and her mother had bought together before she died…"

It was quiet then in the car for several minutes as the three friends mulled over everything they had just found out. Asuna and Makie had slowly fallen back into their seats with sombre expressions on their faces, both feeling upset for what their friend had gone through. Konoka meanwhile, was near to tears upon hearing her girlfriend's tragic story. She knew there was a reason why Setsuna never wanted to bring up her past or home life whenever she asked her about it; it was too painful for her to want to stir up again. The goalie then leaned against the window, crossing her arms over herself as she did. She knew that she promised Takane she wouldn't say anything to Setsuna, and she wouldn't; but all she could think about now was comforting her favorite defenseman. Konoka sighed deeply when she thought about her girlfriend. For as long as she knew her, she had always seen just how strong of a person the defenseman was both physically and mentally. Nothing seemed to get to her; even when it came to the whole past hockey team fiasco. It was rather impressive that Setsuna was able to go through all of this and still keep her head held high, focused on the things that were important to her and always being there for others when they needed it most. Who knew that she had to suffer so much in order to get to that point...

"Hey guys...come on cheer up ok?" said Takane in a soft and comforting tone. "Setsuna's fine...she's learned how to deal with it and she's moved on. Yeah, she might not want to talk about it, but it's just how she works."

"I guess you're right..." sighed Asuna as she started to snap out of it. "...it's just difficult to hear that she has all that to deal with."

Makie nodded and rubbed the back of her neck. "I agree, but at least she was able to get through it all...I guess that explains why I look up to her...she's always had this strong presence about her, it makes me feel better when she's around." She then smiled and reached up front to rest a hand on Konoka's shoulder. "This kid here knows exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Hmmm wha?" replied Konoka as she broke her stare from the window and turned to face the others.

Asuna shook her head with a small smile. "You're thinking about it aren't you?"

"I can't help it...just the thought of her being upset like that..." began Konoka as she sighed and continued to hold herself. "...I was pretty much heartbroken just hearing about what happened with her last year..."

Takane laughed lightly and patted Konoka on top of her head. "I gotta say, I'm really happy that Setsuna has finally found someone who genuinely cares about her...and I can honestly say that she cares just as much as you...can I show you something, without you telling Setsuna?"

She watched as Konoka nodded with interest taking over her once saddened features. Still keeping her eyes on the road and one hand on the steering wheel, Takane reached down into her jacket pocket and fished around for several seconds, finally pulling out her cell phone. She quickly handed it to the goaltender who just sat there staring at her in confusion.

"I think you need some cheering up..." said Takane with a smile. "Why don't you go ahead and just look through some of the old text messages that girlfriend of yours has been sending Mei and I..."

Konoka sent a smile in return before bringing her attention down to the phone in front of her. It took her a few seconds to find them, but soon the goaltender found her eyes scanning the messages. At first she found herself laughing as she read about Setsuna's earlier thoughts on herself; she finally got to see what was really running through the defenseman's mind when she first started at Mahora academy. It wasn't until she got closer to the present time, that she felt her face begin to redden with blushes and her eyes start to water. Every single message from the time of their first date up until just a few days ago was laid out before her and each one expressed Setsuna's feelings towards her flawlessly. She read about everything from the fears the defenseman had of getting too close to the almost pained feeling her girlfriend had when she had to leave her for the night. There were times when Setsuna was a cute but nervous wreck and times when she was explaining how confident she was with everything she was doing in the relationship. What got Konoka the most, was in one of the more recent text messages she had sent to Takane. It must have been just after she had gotten off of the phone with Mei earlier that day when she sent it, and it pretty much summed up everything she was feeling.

"_I'm so glad you and Mei are coming to help us out with getting back at our old team, it's been so long...but what I'm really lookin forward to is for you guys to finally meet Konoka...I'm telling you right now, that this girl...she just...she's the best thing that's ever happened to me...and I know that you've heard me say that before...but being with Konoka has made me realize that, these feelings...I've never, ever had them before...she's really special to me, and I really can't wait to show her off to you two...not that she needs to be shown off anyway...she can pretty much grab anyone's attention as soon as she enters a room...it's her eyes...that's how she got me in the first place...they just always look so caring, just like mom's used to...she would have loved to meet her, and I know they would have gotten along so well...anyway, can't wait to see you guys, and I know you're gonna love her too...just not as much as I do XD..."_

Konoka was at a loss for words as she re-read the message over and over again. She knew that Setsuna loved her; she had heard it say it hundreds if not thousands of time since they started dating. For some reason, seeing that Setsuna had actually taken the time to really express herself to her best friends made it all the more real and meaningful. It also made the final push to send Konoka's fears of the defenseman ever leaving her to go back to the Demon captain over the edge, never to be thought of again; she was Setsuna's, and Setsuna would always be hers. She felt silly for ever worrying then, and had to turn back towards the window in order to stealthily hide the fact that a tear was trickling down her face. once she quickly got herself under control, the goalie closed the messages and handed the phone back to Takane, smiling happily as she did.

"See?" said Takane with a big smile as she took in the sight of her companion next to her, taking back her phone as she did. "I told you it would cheer you up...and it also shows that, despite every hardship Setsuna has faced over the years...it's a lot easier to deal with now that she has someone like you in her life...and trust me when I say this...you are sooooooooooooooo much better than friggin Tsukuyomi ever was..."

"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TELLING THIS DUMMY!" yelled Asuna as she playfully wrapped her arms around the front seat to poke at her best friend. "She always seems to get down on herself whenever that bitch is brought up or shows up...and I know that's the real reason why you wanted to have that time alone with Setsuna before we left, it had nothing to do with the cards. You were just afraid of losing bird brain to that Termabitch after reading that note she left...which I really don't understand why...you don't get that you're a friggin amazing person, and I'm not only saying that as your best friend and roommate, but also as someone who's dated you...Konoka seriously, you're definitely something special..."

The goaltender laughed now as she felt her best friend's attack lighten. "Well thanks Asuna...that was oddly deep of you. I'm really sorry I kept letting my head get to me..."

"It's no problem..." began Asuna as she watched Makie laugh at her before leaning back into her seat. "...just stop thinking like a dumbass ok? And do us all a favour and just admit to yourself that Tsukuyomi is no match for you..."

"I definitely agree with that Asuna..." added Makie as she gave her ex captain a high five.

"So do I..." said Takane softly from next to the goalie. She once again reached up and gently patted Konoka's head. "You take top spot Konoka, just remember that..."

Konoka slowly nodded and once again began to smile as she felt a new surge of confidence take over. "Alright guys...I admit it...Tsukuyomi is no match for me...Setsuna and I are together, and nothing will ever change that."


	16. Warriors Are GO!

**Ahem...I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY I'M SORRY!**

**I'm really sorry that this update took such a long time to do...trust me, it was almost as if it didn't want to be written at all. On top of technical errors, there was a loooooooot of stupid crap from work and school. Anyway, here's this new chapter and I promise I already have the next one on the go. Hopefully it'll be out by the end of next week once I finish a paper for one of my classes...**

**If not...feel free to message me and kick my ass lol.**

**Also, I'm supposed to dedicate this chapter to Loomoo...1) because she dared me to and thought I wouldn't do it, and 2) because the little bugger grew on me...lol very much so... Anyway Loomoo, this chapter's for you, just remember to keep your eyes closed until it's all over ok? **

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**Warriors Are Go!**

The sun was just starting to set over the Kyoto Prep campus as the first of the three revenge cars pulled through the front gate. The four girls inside the vehicle had suddenly become oddly quiet as they gazed out the windows; nerves had set in for the first time since leaving their own campus as the fear of being recognised by a Demon became more and more of a reality. Doing her best to not draw any attention to themselves by driving to slowly, Takane kept at a normal speed and made her way to a parking lot with a well hidden area towards the back. This was to be their meeting place, and hopefully sooner rather than later the others would be joining them.

Once the car had come to its' final stop, Asuna had decided to take it upon herself to get out and look around. She had insisted on doing so despite being advised not to by Makie and Konoka because she wanted to ensure that they were hidden enough and that they hadn't been followed. When the ex captain got out and closed her door, she couldn't help but laugh when she heard the sound of a second being shut behind her, followed by an irritated sigh.

"I thought you said this was a bad idea…" said the red head with a smirk without so much as turning around.

"Yeah well…If I didn't come with you, who knows what kind of trouble you'd get into…" replied Konoka as she made her way around the car and joined her friend at her side. "…there could be no one around for miles and yet somehow, you would get yourself caught…"

Asuna laughed and elbowed the goalie playfully. "Was that a jab I just heard from you? Geeze, somebody must be feeling a little better now eh?"

All Konoka needed to do was smile and Asuna knew that yes, for the first time since meeting Setsuna's ex, the goaltender was completely happy. The goalie had always known that her favourite defenseman loved and cared for her, but deep down she still managed to convince herself that it wasn't enough. The note the psychotic Demon captain had left behind was especially painful and did nothing but once again bring out the jealousy hidden within her. The little talk in the car on the journey to Kyoto Prep, accompanied by the reading of Setsuna's text messages to Takane had been the final push she had needed to finally rid herself of all her worries. It was then that she knew she was being completely ridiculous about the whole thing, and that she really had no reason to feel this way. Setsuna would never, ever, do anything to hurt her. Konoka knew that the defenseman would rather throw herself off of a bridge than to see her hurt, especially when it came to Tsukuyomi issues. Now, as she quietly made her way across the darkening parking lot with her best friend by her side, the goalie couldn't help but smirk to herself; soon she would be joined by her favorite defenseman, and together they would take out all of their anger on Tsukuyomi, and finally, finally be happy.

Once Asuna was completely assured and satisfied with their hiding spot, the two of them made their way back to the waiting vehicle. Takane and Makie had just gotten out and began to stretch once they saw the nod of ok come from the ex captain. It had been a long ride, and it felt nice for them to finally get out and enjoy the fresh air; it also helped to calm their nerves, and the four girls slowly began to feel like they were getting their heads back. It wasn't long after, that revenge car number two pulled up beside them followed a few minutes later by the last car. Before anyone had a chance to say anything, Evangeline came flying out of Mei's car and b-lined it straight to Kaede's window. The rest of the team who weren't in Kaede's car stood back in silence as they watched rage basically radiate off of the short centerman.

Kaede gulped as she reached down and slowly pushed the button to open her window. "...H-hey there Eva...what's up?"

"Don't you play dumb with me Squinty!" replied Evangeline angrily through gritted teeth. "You know exactly what's up...what the hell were you thinking kidnapping that spiky headed kid?! Do you understand what kind of position this puts us in?!"

"Hey come on now Eva calm down..." Yuna said from the back seat, interrupting Evangeline's train of thought and throwing her attention away from the defenseman. "...it wasn't Kaede's idea, I was the one who told her to grab him...there was nothing we could do! It was either kidnap Kotaro or have him go off and tell Negi and coach T."

The centerman threw her angry and enraged glare to Yuna. "Be that as it may, we will be in considerably more trouble now that we have him! Do you know what could have happened if you were pulled over? SERIOUSLY I'M DEALING WITH MORONS!"

Evangeline's yelling was put on hold when a sudden furious banging cut through the air around them. As quickly as they could, Setsuna and Asuna ran to the trunk of Kaede's car and signalled for her to toss out the keys in order for them to unlock it. Ignoring the fuming look coming back to her from Evangeline, Kaede pulled the keys out of the ignition and leaned out the window, throwing them to Setsuna as she did. A few seconds of fumbling and cursing later, the raven haired defenseman finally got the key into the lock and began to turn it. With a quick nod to Asuna, assuring that she was ready, Setsuna took a deep breath and opened the trunk.

"IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU JERKS LET ME OUTTA HERE! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR GUY'S DEA-..."

Asuna quickly swooped in and covered their young manager's mouth as the rest of the girls all looked around frantically. "Kotaro you dumbass, shut the hell up for two seconds...you're gonna get us in shit if you don't calm the fuck down!" she said in a very strained and hushed tone.

After a few seconds of trying to break free from the red head's hold and giving up on yelling, Kotaro calmed down and nodded. Slowly Asuna lifted her hand off of his mouth, leaving him to take a few calming breaths as he surveyed the scene around him. "Fine...I'll cooperate for now...but seriously, why was I jammed into the trunk and forced to listen to horrible singing for the last few hours...and why is half of the team all staring at me...and where the hell am I?"

"Look Kotaro...it's kinda hard to explain..." began Setsuna as she rubbed the back of her head, trying to think of the least crazy way to explain their current situation. "...basically, we're on a revenge mission..."

"Revenge mission?" repeated the young manager as he shot a confusing look to the defenseman. "What do you mean by revenge mission?"

Shaking her head and sensing that if she didn't say anything this was going to be a long night, Evangeline pushed through the two friends and grabbed onto Kotaro's shirt front. "Listen here Spikes...after the championship game this morning, we came back to our dressing room to find it completely destroyed...we cleaned it up so you wouldn't find out, but cleaning just wasn't enough to rid ourselves of the shame and dishonour that was thrown at us. Right now we are on a mission to get back at those responsible...you were not supposed to be part of this plan, but thanks to a certain pair of numbskulls...here you are...you have no choice now but to tag along and stay quiet...or else, I will leave you here at Kyoto Prep and you can be the new stick boy for those fucked up Demon girls..."

"WHOA WHOA WHOA...hold up a second here!" began Kotaro as realization of how serious the situation was sank in. "You're telling me that I've been kidnapped and am now being forced to help you girls not only trespass, but also get involved with vandalism? DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT KIND OF RECORD I HAVE? If we get caught, I'd be expelled from school...I have ONE chance left...ONE...it's been a good amount of time since the last issue...but damn it girls, I can't afford to do this...you leave me no choice but to call Takahata on this one..."

Panic quickly struck through the Warriors as the mention of their coach followed by the sight of Kotaro reaching out to Setsuna and Asuna for one of their phones flashed before them. No one knew what to do, and the defenseman and ex captain just stood there, staring at the young manager's extended hand. If they gave in and handed over one of their phones, it was game over; the whole team would be punished and even stood the chance of having the team being disbanded. If they didn't give in however, they would only be prolonging the inevitable. No matter what these two chose to do, by the time they reached Mahora they would definitely be in a world of trouble.

"Come on now...hand it over..." sighed Kotaro as he motioned to Setsuna. "...this is how it's gotta be Shorty..."

With a Sigh and a gulp, Setsuna quickly glanced around to the others before slowly reaching into her pocket to retrieve her phone. "Alright Kotaro...you wi-..."

"Hey now, just one second Setsuna..." the entire team broke their intense gaze away from the would-be hand over and quickly turned their attention onto a very calm and deviant looking Konoka. The goalie moved easily past Asuna and Evangeline, and paused briefly to send a wink to Setsuna. Before the defenseman had anytime to process what was going on, Konoka moved in with her plan. "...Kotaro, I really think that calling Takahata is a bad idea..."

Not sensing that he was about to step into a trap, the young manager sent a look to the goalie before replying. "Oh yeah? And why you sayin' that princess?"

Konoka hide her smile and continued on. "You have to look at the bigger picture here Kotaro...our honour has basically been spat on...our honour Kotaro. We GIRLS just want to do whatever it takes to regain that...and don't you think as a MAN that you should be here to watch over us and make sure that we're...taken care of? I mean...it's what's right, right?"

Setsuna and Asuna almost burst out into hysterics upon finally catching onto Konoka's plan. There was no way Kotaro would turn down a chance to prove his manliness, or to take care of his girls. Asuna leaned in towards her friend and laughed lightly as she whispered. "Once again...the princess knows how to get what she wants..."

"Well...I guess..." replied Kotaro, completely missing the exchange between the defenseman and ex captain in front of him. "...it really wouldn't be right to have you girls feeling dishonoured...or left to deal on your own...and I spose they did mess with my nice clean dressing room..."

Konoka hid a smirk that was threatening to cross over her lips as she nodded. "Exactly...and I know with someone like you here, we'll all make it home safe...isn't that right girls?" She turned to the rest of her team and winked with a huge smile.

"RIGHT!" cheered the rest of the team together.

Asuna came back up to the trunk and extended out her hand to the still sitting young manager. "So whaddya say Kotaro? You with us or what?"

Without any hesitation, Kotaro reached up and grabbed the ex captain's hand and pulled himself out of the trunk, landing gracefully next to her. "I guess I can't say no...I'm in...let's get you girls your honour back!"

There was a round of silent cheering as the Warriors felt the current tension in the air finally die down. Now they could properly focus on the task at hand knowing that Kotaro wouldn't be ratting them out to their coaches. The girls started to make their way over to Takane's car to grab their supplies. As soon as Kazumi and Sayo retrieved their things, they tossed a walkie talkie each to Evangeline and made their way off to different vantage points. All that was left for the remaining girls to do was to split up into two groups; one taking the gym entrance and the other left to sneak around the back. Konoka was about to happily stride over to Setsuna's group, when she was suddenly pulled back by her shoulder.

"Oh no, no, no...I don't think so..." said Evangeline as she shook her head.

Konoka turned around and pouted at the short centerman. "Awww come on Eva...why not?"

"Yeah, what gives?" asked Haruna.

Evangeline just rolled her eyes. "There's no way I'm letting you and Setsuna sneak around together...we can't afford to get caught cause you two went off somewhere for play time..."

"But Eva!" whined Konoka playfully.

"No, no buts...you will be in a group with myself, Chachamaru, Yuna, Ku, Haruna, Kotaro and Squinty..." the short centerman saluted to the remaining girls as she pulled Konoka away with those mentioned joining her. They were the group to head to the gym.

Setsuna sighed as she watched her girlfriend being dragged away while the others gathered round behind her, trying their best not to laugh. It was finally time to move out and put Operation: Demon Slayer into full swing. As if in sync, the last group of girls threw their hoods over their heads and circled around to the back of the parking lot; on route to the back doors of Vortex Stadium.

/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/

"Come in Sayo, come in…" breathed Kazumi into her walkie talkie set to the channel frequency for her fellow spy companion. She was sure to keep her voice low, as she was currently positioned on top of a dorm roof, unsure if this was the one Chachamaru had said to be the one belonging to the Demon team or not. There were a few open windows, and she had no interest in giving away her position. "Sayo, you there bud?"

After a few more seconds, the forward heard the crackle of the second talkie come to life followed by a familiar, yet out of breath voice. "Yeah…yeah, I'm…I'm here Kazumi."

"What took you so long? I started to think that you got caught or lost or something…" replied the forward as she rolled her eyes at the sound coming out of the talkie.

"No it was nothing like that…" mumbled the defenseman. "…I just had a bit of trouble getting to my vantage point…"

Kazumi laughed and shook her head before continuing on. "I take it tree climbing isn't your thing eh? We probably shoulda traded spots."

"Yeah well too late for that now, ain't it?" replied Sayo with a pout. "Oh well, at least I'm here now…"

"I guess that's always good!" the forward said with another laugh as her eyes finally fell on the group she was responsible for. Just as she was about to ask if Sayo had any luck in tracking down her group yet, a thought came over her that had been bugging her since before they left their school. "Hey Sayo…why are we using walkie talkies when we all have cell phones with the ability to text each other quietly?"

"Because they look cool…duh…"

Down on the ground, Setsuna's group was slowly and quietly making their way through now pitch black shadows in an attempt to make it in time to the back doors. As both the defenseman and Chachamaru had stated, the zamboni driver took an hour at the end of every night to clean the ice scrapping tractor out back; leaving the doors completely open. When Setsuna looked down to her phone, being careful to block the light coming off of the screen she felt a small panic sensation hit her in the pit of her stomach. From what she could remember the driver would almost be done cleaning by now, meaning that they were quickly running out of time. The defenseman made her way over to a nearby dumpster and light post, signalling for the others to follow. Once they were all hidden, Setsuna reached into her hoody pocket and pulled out the talkie. Keeping an eye out and being sure to keep her voice down, she clicked it on.

"Sayo...Sayo you there?"

"I'm here Setsuna, what's up...and where are you guys?" replied Sayo from her spot in the tree. "I saw you a few seconds ago but now, it's like you all disappeared..."

Setsuna continued to look around. "We're behind the dumpster to the right of the arena...look, can you see the driver from where you are?"

Sayo turned slightly on the branch she was perched on to adjust her position. After a few seconds of scanning, a smirk came across the defenseman's face. "Yep just got a visual...from the looks of it, he's almost done washing the thing..."

"Shit, that's what I thought..." mumbled Setsuna as she face palmed. "I knew we were running out of time...this isn't good, I mean we don't really even have a plan to get by him or anything..." she removed her hood and turned to face the others who did the same, tossing the talkie to Makie for keeping as she did. "Any of you guys have an idea on how to get by him? It's not like we can just walk up behind him and go through th-..."

"HOMAGAWD IS THAT SETSUNA?!"

The defenseman in question froze and felt her insides drop as soon as she heard her name being called. The first thing that had run through her head was that this was it, they were all done for; the Demons had spotted them and they would now be faced with some sort of brawl that would lead to them ultimately being kicked out of the league. Her next thought was that despite recognizing the voice calling out, she knew it didn't belong to any one of her old team mates. Where was it that she had recognized it from? As she heard the footsteps draw closer, it all suddenly dawned on her as to who it was. With a gulp, Setsuna braced herself for the impact she knew was coming. A few seconds later, the defenseman found herself wrapped up in a very tight, and extremely uncomfortable hug.

"Uhh...Setsuna, who's she?" asked a very confused and still near frozen in place Asuna. She continued to look on as her friend was struggling to get free from the death grip she was under. "...and uh...what exactly is she doing?"

The defenseman was now trying to politely pry the new girl off of her as she sighed and tried her best to answer. "Th-This is Lucy...she was the uh...president of the...ow...Setsuna Sakurazaki fan club..."

"Wait...what?" asked Akira, now staring at the new girl just as hard as Asuna was.

"A fan club...for you?" added Makie.

"I knew I recognized that voice..." said Takane as she shook her head while Mei face palmed behind her.

Setsuna finally managed to free herself from her hugging attacker, earning her a pout and a set of crossed arms staring back at her. It had been a long time since her last encounter with the crazed fan girl, and the defenseman had assumed that after the commotion she caused last year along with leaving was more than enough to end the club and turn Lucy away; however upon taking in the sight of the girl in front of her it was clear that the idea couldn't be more wrong.

"I can't believe you came back Setsuna!" said Lucy happily as her once sad demeanor from being pushed away seemed to do a complete 180. She continued to look the defenseman over with a dreamy shine in her eyes as she went on. "After what had happened...and by the way what the hell was Tsukuyomi thinking? I MEAN REALLY?! WHO WOULD EVER CHOOSE SOME OTHER LAME CHICK OVER SOMEONE AS AMAZING AS YOU?!...but yeah, after what had happened I never thought I'd get the chance to see you again..."

Setsuna shifted awkwardly under the gaze Lucy was sending her. She had always disliked being focused on, or being put in place as the center of attention. The so called "fan club", seeing as it only consisted of one very committed member, had been following the defenseman's hockey career ever since Lucy watched her first game back in the eighth grade. As soon as Setsuna had stepped on the ice, Lucy had become an instant fan girl and was completely taken with every move and play she made. She had also been the main teasing factor for Setsuna by her team mates, but no matter how much the defenseman wanted to at times, she couldn't tell her off. Despite some of the annoying issues she was causing her, Lucy wasn't doing anything harmful...though the team currently frozen in place staring at the look flooding over the fan girl now would beg to differ.

The defenseman then scratched at the back of her neck, trying her best to keep quiet and stay calm. "I know, I didn't think that I would ever see you again either...how uh...have you been?" Setsuna then shifted her eyes quickly above Lucy's shoulder when she heard Asuna clear her throat, nodding towards Misora who was pointing at the time glowing on her phone...time...they were still running out of it.

Lucy swooned and smiled, lightly bouncing up and down on her heels over the excitement from having her idol ask her such a question. "Oh well, you know...not a whole lot really...since you've been gone and all, my days are nowhere near as fun and exciting as they used to be...and what about you Setsuna?! What brings you back her to Kyoto Prep? OOOOOOOO is it something Tsukuyomi or hockey related?! Can I come too? Or can I at least watch you?...watch you..."

"Gee Lucy, I don't know..." sighed Setsuna as her eyes darted from her to the team mates behind her. "...we're kinda doing something really important...and dangerous...and technically, no one's supposed to know that we're here..."

"No one at all is supposed to know that you and your team are here?" asked the fan girl as she slowly snapped out of her daze. She slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, flipping it open. "...so you're telling me it was a bad idea to snap this picture of you then?"

Everyone's eyes quickly darted to the small screen, instantly growing wide as they saw each and every one of their faces light up in full focus. Somehow, Lucy had managed to get the perfect picture of their small group just as they came to a halt behind the dumpster; the quality and the angle would have made even Kazumi reconsider her stealth like journalist skills. If such a picture was to get out, even accidently by Setsuna's biggest fan, they would be in trouble. Somehow, the Warriors would have to convince Lucy to delete the photo; a task that would seem almost impossible considering who they were dealing with.

"Whoa now Lucy...there's no way you can keep that picture..." began Takane as she moved past Setsuna, slowly heading in towards the fan girl in question. "...what if it was to accidently get sent out?"

"Yeah Lucy..." added Mei from behind her friend, quickly placing her hands on Setsuna's shoulders for emphasis. "...you wouldn't want anything bad to happen to ol' sidepony here would ya? Or you know...her new team mates?"

Lucy noticed Takane coming closer with her hands extending forward. She quickly closed her phone and slipped it into her pocket, much to the dismay of the raven haired defenseman and the rest of the girls. "Of course I would never want anything to happen to SETSUNA...but do you know how hard it is to get a proper picture of her like this? ESPECIALLY since she up and left the school..." The fan girl then put on her best sad face and gently kicked at the ground. "...it's all I...I mean...the Setsuna fan club has now..."

Setsuna felt her heart sink in her chest. As much as she knew that allowing Lucy to have the picture was a horrible idea that was bound to backfire on them, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her. All that the girl wanted was some sort of memento from her most idolized person; there really wasn't anything wrong with that, was there? The more the defenseman thought about it, the more she considered just giving in and letting Lucy keep the picture. Suddenly, she felt an elbow nudge her hard in her side, followed by her name being angrily whispered at her.

"Oi, Setsuna...I know what you're thinking..." growled Asuna as she slid up beside her. As soon as the ex captain saw the fan girl put a sad face on, she knew that the defenseman would start to feel bad. "...you know we can't let her keep that picture! That's like a friggin death sentence!"

Setsuna sighed as she watched Takane and Mei continue to try and reason with her. "I know Asuna, I know!...but I mean...just look at her. Asking her to delete that picture would be like asking you to throw your skates off a bridge...it means a lot to her...there's no way I can ask that of her Asuna...no way..."

Asuna rolled her eyes; she should have known that this was going to be the type of response she would get. No matter who it was, the ex captain knew that the defenseman never wanted to be the cause of anyone's sadness. Still, the thought of allowing such an incriminating picture to exist made the red head feel uneasy. If only there was some other way to please Lucy. Just then, an idea hit her. "Look Setsuna...I have a plan...whatever I say just go along with it ok?"

"Uh...o-ok..." Setsuna squinted her eyes questioningly, unsure if she should be happy her friend had a plan...or terrified.

Asuna smiled and sent her friend a confident wink before turning her attention to Lucy and Setsuna's old friends. She was sure to take a few steps forward before clearing her throat, quickly drawing the attention from the small fighting group of three. "Look guys, we aren't gonna get anywhere by fighting with Lucy...clearly she has her heart set on keeping the picture and there's nothing we can do...nothing could possibly ever be better than a pic of birdbrain right?...or maybe, there is..."

Lucy's eyes narrowed, along with the rest of the girls around her. She looked from Asuna to Setsuna and back again before she gave in and asked her question. "What are you saying Red? Are you telling me you're willing to trade me something for it? Cause let me tell you right now there's no way you can offer me anything that even compares to such a nice shot of Setsuna..."

"What if she kissed you?"

"...a-alright I was...wrong..." stuttered the fan girl as the offer slowly settled in. "If I...if Setsuna kisses me...consider the picture gone..."

Setsuna was speechless and felt dizzy as everything around her felt like it was spinning. There was no way, no way she could give in and play along with such a plan. How could Asuna even suggest such a thing? The defenseman shook her head in an attempt to snap out of it. There was no way she was going to up and kiss someone other than Konoka, no matter how desperate their situation was. It felt wrong to her to even think about doing it, let alone actually going through with it. As her freak out continued in her head, Setsuna could feel the eyes of her team mates settle onto her. Surely they were just as shocked as she was, they couldn't possibly think it was a good plan, could they? Setsuna quickly looked down at the time on her own phone, once again being reminded of how fast it was running away from them. Everything was all falling apart before it could even begin, and rage started to flow through her as she realized that once again...something from her past was screwing with her.

Noticing the minor freak out happening in her best friend's head, Asuna came back to her and put her hands on the defenseman's shoulders. She slowly began to push Setsuna forward, leaning in and whispering into her ear. "Calm down Setsuna...this is all part of the plan...don't worry about a thing alright?...nothing bad will happen. I promise, it's not what you think...you trust me don't you?"

Setsuna heard the calm and assuring tone in the ex captain's voice and slowly her rage began to settle again. If Asuna says that nothing bad was going to happen, then surely she could trust her. With another sigh, she whispered back. "I really hope you know what you're doing Asuna..."

The two came to a halt just a few feet away from Lucy; the ex captain winking at Takane and Mei who were off to the side, staring at her with complete confusion. Setsuna meanwhile was left standing stock still and red faced, nerves threatening to burst out of her as she took in the sight of a completely ecstatic Lucy barely able to contain herself in front of her. She gulped as she could feel the space between them getting smaller and smaller. Whatever Asuna was planning better happen soon, or else she would be faced with the bottomless guilt of having to kiss another girl to whom she didn't belong.

"Whoa whoa whoa Lucy, just hang on now..." interrupted Asuna as she put a hand on the fan girl's leaned in shoulder. She was greeted with a glare before continuing. "Look...Setsuna here is a little shy when it comes to doing this sorta thing in public...I know she probably can't say it herself right now, but she definitely can't handle the idea of being peeked at by the girl she's gonna be kissin on...so, out of respect for her wishes...I suggest that you promise her right now, that you will in no way whatsoever open your eyes until the kiss is finished, ok?"

Lucy was about to protest, but she saw Setsuna nod and agree with the ex captain. Little did she know that the defenseman was slowly catching on to what Asuna had planned. Without giving it another thought, the fan girl nodded as well. "Fine, that's fair...and very cute when you think about it...I promise to keep my eyes shut until the kiss is over, ok Setsuna?"

Playing it up, but still unsure as to where this was really going, Setsuna nodded. "O-ok Lucy...thank you for understanding..."

With a final nod of approval from Asuna, Lucy smiled and closed her eyes. Tension could be felt all around them as the rest of the girls watched on in complete confusion. Their eyes were all glued on the scene about to unfold in front of them. Slowly, Lucy once again began to lean forwards into what was sure to be the best moment in her young life. Just as she was about to make contact with a near frozen Setsuna, the plan kicked in, and all of the girls tried their hardest not to gasp or give anything away. Instead of Setsuna being the one to receive the kiss from the overly excited fan girl, Asuna quickly stepped in and "sacrificed" her own lips for the good of the team. To make things even better, the ex captain even managed to rearrange some of her hair into a sidepony to match Setsuna's, which she now allowed Lucy to put her fingers through. Shock was the first thing to hit the defenseman, followed quickly by guilt for tricking Lucy. It wasn't what she would have wanted to do, but she supposed that it was either this or feel ten times guiltier by going through it herself.

As the kiss ended, Asuna was sure to pull away and adjust her hair back to normal before Lucy had a chance to notice. She even pulled Setsuna back in front of her and ruffled up her raven hair a little to make it look more believable. Once Lucy opened her eyes, the ex captain smiled. "There, now wasn't that just awesome?"

For a moment, Lucy was quiet, unsure of what to say. Then suddenly, she began to squeal with joy and jump around. "HOWMAGAWD THAT WAS PERFECT! IT'S EVERYTHING I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE!"

Setsuna rolled her eyes without the fan girl noticing, trying not to listen to the giggles coming from her team mates. It was still her time to play along. "O-oh yeah? Th-thanks Lucy...I'm...I'm glad you enjoyed it..."

"MORE THAN ENJOYED!" she replied. "You have no idea how awe-"

"Yeah yeah, great..." interrupted Asuna, trying to get a move on. "Now that you got the kiss it's time to delete the picture yeah? A deal's a deal..."

Without another word, Lucy once again reached for her pocket and pulled out her phone. A few seconds later she brought the picture up and, in front of everyone deleted it. For a brief second the fan girl looked to be slightly disheartened, but once again the thought of her supposed Setsuna kiss flooded through her. With a smile, she looked to the team of Warriors standing around her. "As much as I really would have loved having that picture, I think what I got in the end was a billion times better...and don't you girls worry, I promise not to say anything to anyone about you all being here."

"...Thanks Luce..." began Setsuna as she awkwardly scratched the back of her head. The longer the conversation dragged on, the guiltier she felt for what had actually happened. She knew that it was important to have Lucy go along with what they were doing and keep things quiet, but her mind was just eating at her. The defenseman needed to tell the fan girl the truth, and now was as good a time as any. "You really don't need to be so thankful, especially since I wa-..."

"Since she should be the thankful one for having such an awesome fan!" interrupted Mei as she subtly smacked Setsuna in the stomach, abruptly bringing her confession to a halt. She sent her doubled over friend an apologetic smile before going on. "...and trust me when I say that we're pretty thankful too..."

"Now if you don't mind Lucy, we really gotta get a move on here..." added Asuna as she and Akira helped to upright their still out of breath team mate. She sent a nod to the others to move to the next dumpster that was closer to the Zamboni doors, tugging Setsuna along with her fellow forward as she did. The ex captain then yelled over her shoulder. "It was nice meeting you!"

As Setsuna caught her breath, she managed to turn her head just enough to catch a glimpse of the fan girl waving them off. As much as it bugged her, she was glad that they were able to get out of the situation and finally get a move on. If she still felt bad about lying to Lucy once she got back to Mahora, she could always just send her some sort of autographed hockey picture; Setsuna knew how much she would like that. As her attention turned back to the matter at hand, the defenseman couldn't help but smirk to herself. Sure, she had managed to avoid kissing someone she wasn't dating, but the same couldn't be said about her red headed friend. Leaning into the ex captain, she already knew what kind of fun she would be able to have with her.

"Oi, Asuna...hope you enjoyed your little plan..." she whispered as she tried not to laugh. "...cause if Ayaka finds out what you did...you'd be better off getting caught by the Demons..."

Asuna gulped at the mention of her own girlfriend's name. She had been so caught up in getting Lucy to delete the picture that once again she hadn't thought everything out. She shot a glance to Setsuna and Akira who were now both laughing at the worried face she had. "It was a life or death situation...couldn't get around it...I didn't want to, but it had to be done..."

"You really think Ayaka will go with that eh?" asked Akira through a laugh. "I totally think you should try that line..."

"What happens on the road, stays on the road..." said Asuna as a new terrified look spread over her face. "...for the love of sticks and skates...what happens on the road stays on the road..."

As the three quickly came up to the last and closest dumpster to the building and joined the rest of the team, focus on what they were here for quickly began to set back in again. Everyone suddenly became horribly aware of their time situation when they saw the driver come back outside and hop up onto the tractor. As the Warriors heard the engine start up, panic spread through them; time had officially run out and there was very little that they could do. Within seconds of the driver pulling into the building, the big door began to close. Just as the idea of the whole revenge plan began to fall apart in most of the girls' heads, a very determined and fast thinking defenseman made a grab for Setsuna's hand.

"Come on Setsuna, we're doin this!" yelled Misora over her shoulder as she took off for the door at top speed, dragging her fellow defenseman behind her. "...let's haul some ass!"

"BUT MISORA!"

The two defensemen were now tearing it at top speed across the pavement, heading straight for the door. From what Setsuna could see, there was no way the two of them were going to make it, as the door was already half way down. She looked back over her shoulder quickly, noticing that everything must have happened way to fast since the rest of the girls were standing there in shock.

_Probably better off that they didn't make a break for it too...I'm pretty sure I'm about to get a face full of door..._

For Misora however, the thought of the door coming down in front of them was laughable. She was, and has been the fastest skater on the team and clearly that skill showed itself now. A huge smirk spread across the usually quiet defenseman as she felt her legs switch into overdrive; there was no way she could pass up an opportunity to show off her speed. Setsuna meanwhile, felt as if her arm was once again being torn out of place. She had wanted to yell out for her fellow defenseman to slow down, but knew that would be a bad idea as it would have drawn attention from the driver inside. The door was now becoming a bigger threat as it continued its' decent, now only a good five feet from the ground. As the two pulled up closer, Setsuna began to feel her stomach do flips at the thought of possibly being squished to death here at the one place she hated the most in the world.

"Hey Setsuna, on my say, tuck and roll!" said Misora as she pulled her friend up beside her. Before Setsuna could reply, the word she wasn't prepared for came. "GO!"

It happened so fast that it seemed like the whole thing was just some thought. Misora quickly threw both herself and the still somewhat shocked Setsuna to the ground, causing the two of them to tuck in and roll just as the door grazed their passing shoulders. As it came to its' final rest on the ground, the room in which the defensemen had managed to get into became completely dark.

"Oh gods...we died...we didn't make it..." mumbled Setsuna as she opened her eyes and was greeted with darkness. "...my body's back at that stupid school...OH GODS WHAT ABOUT KONOKA?! She's going to be devastated!"

Misora reached over punched the panicking defenseman hard in the arm. "Setsuna...we made it...everything's fine, I'm sure Konoka will be ok...geeze...I think you've been hanging out with Asuna and Makie too much..."

Setsuna rubbed at her arm, and upon realizing she felt pain, instantly felt relieved that they had made it. She sighed and shook her head, trying to regain herself after her moment of embarrassment. Once her head was clear, she picked herself up off of the ground and waited for her eyes to adjust. The room slowly came into focus and revealed that the driver had left the area and was nowhere to be seen or heard. It was the first good sign that they had had since beginning the revenge mission, allowing for excitement to make its' way back into Setsuna's heart. All she needed to do now was make her way to the small door to let the others in, and they would be home free. As she and Misora pulled up to the door however, they were greeted with something neither was prepared for.

"You gotta be kidding me..."sighed Setsuna angrily as her eyes scanned what looked to be somewhat freshly painted words on the door. "...I can't believe that they installed a security alarm...there never used to be one here! This is how Mei, Takane and I would sneak out after some extra practice time or how Tsukuyomi and I..."

Misora shook her head. "Well...hindsight...that was probably a stupid idea. You guys were most likely the reason why they added it to the door..."

Setsuna face palmed, knowing that her friend was probably right. As she mumbled profanities to herself, the defenseman reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She angrily thumbed out a text message to Asuna, letting her know that there was no way for the rest of them to get in this way and that their only hope now was to find a way to sneak in through the front doors. At least Makie still had the Walkie Talkie and could depend on Sayo to keep an eye out for them. Still, using the front doors was in no way part of the plan; and who knows at what time, or even if the cleaning staff would come and lock those now. As Setsuna motioned for Misora to follow her to the hall that would hopefully connect them with Konoka's group, she couldn't help but feel that the worst was yet to come. Hopefully Asuna and the rest would make it through so that they could get this trip over with and make it home in one piece.


End file.
